Matthew 6:1-18
6: “Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven.
2 “Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 3 But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
5 “And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 6 But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
7 “And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. 9 Pray then like this:
0 “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. 10 Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. 11 Give us this day our daily bread, 12 and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
14 For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, 15 but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
16 “And when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 17 But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, 18 that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
Reflection
Jesus is going to discuss two areas of life that tend to reveal where our ultimate loyalties lie: religious practice (Matt. 6:1–18) and the use of wealth (vv. 19–34). In both areas, Jesus commands his followers to find their satisfaction and security in God rather than in anything else. First, Jesus talks about the area of religious practice. Whether we are giving to the needy (vv. 1–4), praying (vv. 5–14), or fasting (vv. 16–18), Jesus wants his disciples to avoid outward displays that bring praise to ourselves (vv. 1–4, 16–18). He also warns us against trying to use robotic routines in order to get God to do what we want (vv. 5–13). Giving to the needy, praying, and fasting should result from trust in God’s fatherly affection, and when we do these things secretly it is a sign that we have a healthy confidence in him. Following Christ’s instructions here will help protect us from doing these things with self-absorbed and greedy motives.
Romans 4:13-25
13 For the promise to Abraham and his offspring that he would be heir of the world did not come through the law but through the righteousness of faith. 14 For if it is the adherents of the law who are to be the heirs, faith is null and the promise is void. 15 For the law brings wrath, but where there is no law there is no transgression.
16 That is why it depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all his offspring—not only to the adherent of the law but also to the one who shares the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all, 17 as it is written, “I have made you the father of many nations”—in the presence of the God in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist. 18 In hope he believed against hope, that he should become the father of many nations, as he had been told, “So shall your offspring be.” 19 He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body, which was as good as dead (since he was about a hundred years old), or when he considered the barrenness of Sarah's womb. 20 No distrust made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, 21 fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised. 22 That is why his faith was “counted to him as righteousness.” 23 But the words “it was counted to him” were not written for his sake alone, 24 but for ours also. It will be counted to us who believe in him who raised from the dead Jesus our Lord, 25 who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification.
Reflection
Abraham is not just a character in an ancient story: he shows us how to respond to the promises of God. Abraham believed God’s promises, and because of this he was declared righteous in God’s sight (Rom. 4:22). In the same way, when sinners put their faith in the one who died and rose again, they will graciously receive the same verdict in God’s heavenly courtroom (receiving this favorable verdict is known as “justification”; v. 25).
Faith, promise, grace: this bundle of words captures the point of Paul’s story of Abraham in Romans 4. Faith (humble trust) is the right posture for approaching God; promise (God’s pledge to rescue those who are truly his) is God’s invitation to have faith in him; grace is God’s gift of forgiveness and his desire to give us a new life in relationship with him. By watching Abraham’s example, we see that in order to experience the gift of God’s grace, we must have faith in the great promises that are offered to us in Christ.
Psalm 119:147-148
147 I rise before dawn and cry for help; I hope in your words. 148 My eyes are awake before the watches of the night, that I may meditate on your promise.
God is faithful to every word he speaks. Ask God to make you a man or woman whose life is marked by faith in the great promises he has given to us in his Word.