Most of us know what it feels like to pray with one eye on the people around us—wondering whether we sound holy enough, reaching for language we’d never use in ordinary conversation. In Matthew 6, Jesus warns us that prayer aimed at impressing an audience—human or divine—has already received its only reward.
We can do the right thing and still face an uncomfortable question: are we doing it because God called us, or because we want people to notice? In Matthew 6, Jesus assumes his people will give to those in need, then warns that even this good act can become a way of practicing righteousness “to be seen by others.”
Who sits on the throne of your life? We often allow our desires and pleasures to take complete devotion to our lives, but the truth is that Christ reigns above all things in our life.
Blessed are the merciful—it sounds really good when we are the ones receiving mercy. That call suddenly sounds a lot worse when we’re the ones called to show mercy. Jesus calls us to that mercy, against our natural inclination for payback.
Most of us have never gone without a meal, yet Jesus in Matthew 5:6 calls us to feel that ravenous, stomach-aching hunger—not for food, but for righteousness. Do we feel that craving?