When reading Matthew 6:1-18 there were some things that kept coming to the forefront of what was being said.  It all has to do with how and why we do things.  It’s all about our motives and manner with which we express our love for God and our witness in His Kingdom, to each other and to the world.

Jesus is teaching about three areas that we are to do something; it’s not if but when we do them; when we give; when we pray; and when we fast.  So obviously He expects us to be doing them.  So let’s begin: (I hope you have taken time to read the Scripture passage)

We can see that our giving is not to be announced to others around us in order to bring praise to ourselves.  This is not to say that we cannot or should not share our testimony about supporting our Church with our tithes and our offerings or support missionaries, for when done at proper times it can be used to teach others about the Word of God and be an encouragement to them. We just need to be careful that it is for God’s glory we share our testimony, and not to build ourselves up.  I’m sure you get the picture.

The same is true about when we pray.  Here again, it has to do with our motives.  Are we praying to be obedient to God or to gather some kind of praise for ourselves, we must watch our motives.  I found it interesting that in The Message Bible it states that we are not to turn our pray time into theatrical productions.  Remember that wordy prayers can dull the flow of the power of God.

The New Life Version puts it this way: do not be as those who pretend to be someone they are not, they love to stand and pray in the places of worship or in the streets so people can see them.  To really put some light on the manner at heart is the New King James Version which instructs us to not be like the hypocrites; they love to pray to be seen by men.

I’m not sure about you but I don’t want to be known as a theatrical prayer-actress but as a powerful prayer-child of God; not as a pretender trying to lay claim to the Promises of God but as one who knows and has the Promises of God in my heart; not as a hypocrite with the appearance of religion but a righteous prayer warrior with a relationship with Almighty God.

However, in saying all of this, that doesn’t mean we are not to come together to pray.  Certainly, we are; there is great power in corporate prayer, we are just not to make a spectacle out of our praying.  We are to pray to bring the power of God into situations and lives not to bring praise to ourselves.

Let’s go on the next item in the discussion; fasting.  Here again, we are admonished to not show ourselves saddened during our times of fasting so others will see that we are fasting. I’ll not go over all the same aspects of the “why not’s” as mentioned above, for the same principles apply: we are not to do anything to bring glory to ourselves but to bring glory to God.  Everything we do is to be done for the glory of God.

When we give, pray and fast with the right motives and correctness of heart, then God sees and rewards us.   That is His promise to us.  Our testimony is to be about God’s faithfulness to His Word, not about any of our ability to give financially, pray wordy prayers, or fast for long periods of time.

Colossians 3:23 teaches that whatever we do, we are to do heartily as to the Lord, and not unto men.

Now all three of these activities can be done in a corporate manner when God’s people come together to give their tithes and offerings, to pray, and to fast; that is not the question so much as to whether we are announcing our involvement to bring glory to ourselves or to God.  It’s all about our motives and intent of the heart.

Jesus says an interesting thing here when He says that what is done is secret God openly rewards.  In other words don’t tell everyone the dollar amount of our tithes and offerings, or the hours we spend praying, or all the meals we missed by fasting; for if we brag on ourselves we are seeking approval (reward) from others.  However, if we are doing these things as unto the Lord He will reward us openly.

If we seek glory for ourselves then God doesn’t get any glory, but if we seek glory for God, then He is glorified in us.

Our obedience to tithes brings opened windows of heaven that pour out blessings to us. (Malachi 3:10)  Our obedience to pray according to and in agreement with the Word of God is our confidence that He hears and answers our prayers. (1 John 5:13-15)  Our obedience to fast is the disciplining of our body to bring it in submission; our spirit is to rule our lives not our flesh.  Also, we receive wisdom from God during times of fasting when we are focusing on God that we may not otherwise receive.

So what we’ve learned today is that everyone is called to give, everyone is called to pray, and everyone is called to fast.  Jesus said “WHEN”; when you give, when you pray, when you fast, so clearly He expects us to do them.

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Matthew 6:1-4 – when you do charitable deeds, don’t do them to be seen by others drawing attention to yourself otherwise you have no reward.  Deeds done in secret means as unto the Lord, the Father in heaven sees and rewards openly.

Matthew 6:5-8 – when you pray, don’t be like the hypocrites who pray to be heard by others which then is their reward but pray in your room and when you shut the door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.  Don’t pray words of insincere repetition or with many of your own words but pray according to the Word of God with love and confidence that God hears and answers prayer.

Matthew 6:16-18 – when you fast, do not be like the hypocrites, with a sad countenance.  For they disfigure their faces that they may appear to men to be fasting.  Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward.  But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, so that you do not appear to men to be fasting, but to your Father who is in the secret place, and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.