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Pleasing God matters more than impressing people

October 9, 2024
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Daily Scripture

Matthew 6:1-18

“Do Unto Others” campaign
This week, after the first sermon in the “Do Unto Others” series, we’re reading nearly all of Jesus’ “platform,” the Sermon on the Mount. Daily readings are a bit longer than usual, but we believe you’ll find it valuable to have an overview of the principles Jesus said build the best possible life.

1 “Be careful that you don’t practice your religion in front of people to draw their attention. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven.
2 “Whenever you give to the poor, don’t blow your trumpet as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets so that they may get praise from people. I assure you, that’s the only reward they’ll get. 3 But when you give to the poor, don’t let your left hand know what your right hand is doing 4 so that you may give to the poor in secret. Your Father who sees what you do in secret will reward you.
5 “When you pray, don’t be like hypocrites. They love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners so that people will see them. I assure you, that’s the only reward they’ll get. 6 But when you pray, go to your room, shut the door, and pray to your Father who is present in that secret place. Your Father who sees what you do in secret will reward you.
7 “When you pray, don’t pour out a flood of empty words, as the Gentiles do. They think that by saying many words they’ll be heard. 8 Don’t be like them, because your Father knows what you need before you ask. 9 Pray like this:
Our Father who is in heaven,
uphold the holiness of your name.
10 Bring in your kingdom
so that your will is done on earth as it’s done in heaven.
11 Give us the bread we need for today.
12 Forgive us for the ways we have wronged you,
just as we also forgive those who have wronged us.
13 And don’t lead us into temptation,
but rescue us from the evil one.
14 “If you forgive others their sins, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you don’t forgive others, neither will your Father forgive your sins.
16 “And when you fast, don’t put on a sad face like the hypocrites. They distort their faces so people will know they are fasting. I assure you that they have their reward. 17 When you fast, brush your hair and wash your face. 18 Then you won’t look like you are fasting to people, but only to your Father who is present in that secret place. Your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

Daily Reflection & Prayer

Jesus would warn convention goers to avoid living a life mainly aimed at impressing others. Pastor Hamilton noted, “The greatest leaders, and the people who have a significant impact on the world, are not those who were never criticized. They are those who, when criticized, did not give up.” * Jesus taught what we call the Lord’s Prayer, not as a magic formula to recite by rote, but as a model to guide us into personal, trusting prayer. Prayer isn’t to impress people or God but to connect us honestly with God.

  • It can take courage to live a life guided by Jesus’ radical perspective on true righteousness even when “the world” misunderstands and criticizes you. Have you ever had to ignore the criteria that family, friends or co-workers wanted to impose on you to live out God’s calling on your life? How can your spiritual practices and political engagement reflect genuine love and kindness, rather than self-promotion or divisiveness?
  • Here’s a simple way to think about who you’re trying to impress, shared by Pastor John Ortberg: “Every once in a while do something good and try to make sure no one finds out about it.” ** Why not try that this week? Keep some notes (only for your eyes, and God’s) about how it feels to increase your freedom from what Ortberg called “the narcotic of approval.”
Prayer

Lord Jesus, I want you to be the “audience of one” to whom I direct my life focus and energy. Keep teaching me how to live every moment as though I am in your presence—because I am. Amen.

GPS Insights

Picture of Gwyn Thomas

Gwyn Thomas

Gwyn Thomas serves in donor relations at Resurrection. She’s a Boston native and moved to Kansas City in 2020. Her husband Blake is a provisional elder in the UMC and is a Congregational Care Pastor at Resurrection Leawood. Her favorite pastimes include pottery, hiking, frisbee, trying new restaurants, and spending time with her daughter and their large orange cat, Tuna.

 

After reading today’s Scripture, I feel excited to share a bit about a person in my life I think models the message Jesus was conveying to the very best of their ability. This person is just different. Do you know when you meet someone and you can just tell they are unique because there’s light around them, coming from within them, and shining through them? You can’t help but wonder what makes them this way. This person is someone I admire. They are dedicated and disciplined about the time they spend in prayer and reading Scripture. They are a great listener. I especially learn from their active listening skills and how they ask follow-up questions and never rush through a conversation.

This person is my husband. He would never describe himself the way that I have in my first paragraph because I’m not sure I’ve ever heard him talk about himself; and we’ve known each other for almost a decade. I think it’s so important to read Jesus’ words from the Sermon on the Mount and think of a person who models this behavior in your life. Think of the way they make you feel when you’re around them. How you trust them and who they are in private as well as public. I hope to be this person for someone else.

I think it’s impossible to get it right all the time, but not impossible to set out each day to at least try our best to model these words as Jesus instructed: Bring in your kingdom so that your will is done on earth as it’s done in heaven. I want to be a person that exudes light and to make others wonder what is so different about me. What’s different is that I know it’s Jesus that is the ultimate model of this life being lived differently. I’m so grateful to be on this journey with my church family as we strive to live differently.

© 2024 Resurrection: A United Methodist Church. All Rights Reserved.
Scripture quotations are taken from The Common English Bible ©2011. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
References

* Hamilton, Adam. Unafraid: Living with Courage and Hope in Uncertain Times (p. 103). The Crown Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.
** John Ortberg, The Life You’ve Always Wanted. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2002, p. 168.