xjwsforChrist

Just be cautious of not being a "noisy cymbal" and always heed Our Lord's words as per Matthew

1"Beware of practicing your righteousness before men to be noticed by them; otherwise you have no reward with your Father who is in heaven.

2"So when you give to the poor, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be honored by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. 3"But when you give to the poor, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4so that your giving will be in secret; and your Father who sees [what is done] in secret will reward you.

5"When you pray, you are not to be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on the street corners so that they may be seen by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. 6"But you, when you pray, go into your inner room, close your door and pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees [what is done] in secret will reward you.

Sometimes are verbal declaration of God has nothing to do with prayer and our public declaration of Christ has nothing to do with words, know what I mean?

know what I mean?

Can't speak for anyone else, but I certainly do, dear P (peace, luv!). For instance, what our dear Lord meant when he said, as you've quoted:

"Beware of practicing your righteousness before men to be noticed by them."


This is a VERY common thing in our world: thinking that if we LOOK like we're righteous... so that PEOPLE think we are ("Oooh, SURELY he is a righteous brother, because...")... we ARE righteous. Like the Pharisee... who prayed TO HIMSELF... versus the (hated by Jews) tax collector:

"To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else, [Jesus] told this parable: “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood and prayed to himself: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’

“But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’

“I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves... will be exalted.”

Unfortunately, we also live in a world that, when one speaks/shares truth, it is often taken as a form of self-exaltation. But that because, as our dear Lord himself said... the world cannot RECEIVE the spirit of [the] truth. So, they reward false and MOCK humility... which originates with the FATHER of the lie, who is our enemy and the enemy of our dear Lord... while ridiculing and taking issue with real humility (before God)... which actually REQUIRES one to speak truth... especially that which comes FROM the Truth.

What we do, in our efforts to BE righteous (not APPEAR righteous)... is what we OUGHT to do ANYWAY... and so... where is the right to kudos? Why do we NEED men to approve/speak well of us? Our dear Lord said:

“Woe to you when people speak [b]well of you[/b], for that is just how their fathers treated the false prophets!"

It's like someone wanting to be recognized and perhaps even rewarded for being a "good" father, mother, wife, husband, child. Rewards are for those who rose ABOVE AND BEYOND, who did MORE than what they should have done, who went BEYOND the ordinary... BEYOND what "everyone else" is doing... and did the EXTRAORDINARY.

If you CHOOSE to marry, you're SUPPOSED to be a GOOD husband/wife. If you CHOOSE to bring children into this world, you're SUPPOSED to be a GOOD mother/father. If you are a child, you're SUPPOSED to honor your parent(s).

Etc.

We LOOK for these things, though, because we want, look for, covet, and receive... glory... from MEN... and so seek, yearn for, covet... the glory that comes from THIS world. Unfortunately, we tend to view how that occurs with the "eyes" of this world which often renders our sight... blind.

Our dear Lord's kingdom is no part of THIS world, though. And so, it's not approval by and glory from among those of THIS world that we should be concerned with and seek... but the glory that comes from the Father, through the Son, which says, from THEM: "Well done... good and faithful SERVANT!"

You get that kudo from one thing: obeying. Doing "just so." Which follows FAITH... in the One who is SPEAKING... so as to HEAR his voice... when HE tells you what to do... and say... even if those of this world don't approve. Comes down to who you love... and so, want to PLEASE... MORE.

Peace to you all!

YSSFS of Christ,

Shellamar