Contemplation #253
Be careful not to do your acts of righteousness before men, to be seen by them. Matthew 6:1
After this instruction Jesus mentions giving to the needy, prayer, and fasting. These are acts out of righteousness rather than acts which bring or earn righteousness. If anyone wants to imagine what righteousness means, it certainly includes these practices. Giving to the needy, prayer, and fasting are tied together in the Christian tradition of Lent. First, we must be careful to truly do our acts of righteousness and to not neglect the very daily works that God's righteousness in us calls us to do. Let us be careful to do them as well as heeding Jesus' warning about how not to do these good works.
Contemplation #254
Be careful not to do your acts of righteousness before men, to be seen by them. Matthew 6:1
The warning to not do our good works before men should make us think of the One before whom they should be done. Again, as Jesus assumes we will be doing these practical expressions of of the righteousness of God, he assumes that we know to do them unto God. To be blind to human praise or ridicule, and to care only for the will of God, this is walking in faith. We must free ourselves from dependency on the judgments of others. God's righteousness is a gift that he gives for our benefit and we respond readily to it when we allow that righteousness to work in and through us, for only the pleasure of the One who gave it.
Contemplation #255
Be careful not to do your acts of righteousness before men, to be seen by them. Matthew 6:1
The 'men' here are not all people, but only the select group in whose eyes one wants to be exalted. There may be many whose opinion matters little to us, but others who we allow to have power over us. This may differ from person to person. Perhaps it is one's peers, or one's family. It might even be the poor and needy, that we desire to be elevated in their eyes. We need to be particularly aware of those before whom we would like to be honored. Acts of righteousness must be founded in humility and selfless devotion to God. The desire to be 'seen' is a form of devotion to ourselves, rather than to God.
Be careful not to do your acts of righteousness before men, to be seen by them. Matthew 6:1
After this instruction Jesus mentions giving to the needy, prayer, and fasting. These are acts out of righteousness rather than acts which bring or earn righteousness. If anyone wants to imagine what righteousness means, it certainly includes these practices. Giving to the needy, prayer, and fasting are tied together in the Christian tradition of Lent. First, we must be careful to truly do our acts of righteousness and to not neglect the very daily works that God's righteousness in us calls us to do. Let us be careful to do them as well as heeding Jesus' warning about how not to do these good works.
Contemplation #254
Be careful not to do your acts of righteousness before men, to be seen by them. Matthew 6:1
The warning to not do our good works before men should make us think of the One before whom they should be done. Again, as Jesus assumes we will be doing these practical expressions of of the righteousness of God, he assumes that we know to do them unto God. To be blind to human praise or ridicule, and to care only for the will of God, this is walking in faith. We must free ourselves from dependency on the judgments of others. God's righteousness is a gift that he gives for our benefit and we respond readily to it when we allow that righteousness to work in and through us, for only the pleasure of the One who gave it.
Contemplation #255
Be careful not to do your acts of righteousness before men, to be seen by them. Matthew 6:1
The 'men' here are not all people, but only the select group in whose eyes one wants to be exalted. There may be many whose opinion matters little to us, but others who we allow to have power over us. This may differ from person to person. Perhaps it is one's peers, or one's family. It might even be the poor and needy, that we desire to be elevated in their eyes. We need to be particularly aware of those before whom we would like to be honored. Acts of righteousness must be founded in humility and selfless devotion to God. The desire to be 'seen' is a form of devotion to ourselves, rather than to God.
posted by Greg at 8:49 AM
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