The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in Matthew 6:1,
"Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven."
In this passage, Jesus points out that public religious expressions done for the purpose of highlighting one's own spirituality are rejected by God. He uses the examples of public displays of philanthropy and prayer.
There really are all kinds of examples of this about us. My favorite are the TV evangelists who provide little mini-eruptions of "talking in tongues", etc., that are designed to provide the "correct bona fides" for asking the public to empty their wallets for "the very important work of their ministry". I'm sure you have your favorite examples of like disgusting behavior by those who would pass themselves off as our spiritual betters.
I'm certain there are other, less obvious examples around us as well. But, nonetheless, designed to promote some distinction that a person or their church, or denomination, or whatever, is more spiritual than whatever it is you have. If you pay attention to the discourse in the public square these days (and I can't blame anyone who avoids it!), you have certainly heard the term, "virtue signaling".
Wikipedia defines it as "Virtue signalling is the conspicuous expression of moral values done primarily with the intent of enhancing standing within a social group. The term was first used in signalling theory, to describe any behavior that could be used to signal virtue—especially piety among the religious."
I think Wikipedia might have included the notion that there is intent to communicate "I am better than you". Surely this is at the heart of what Jesus was teaching. Do-gooders who ply their trade often do so to demonstrate just how wonderful they are.
I don't know about you, but I am not wonderful - Jesus Christ is. I really don't have anything to parade in front of others. If anything good ever came by my life, trust me, it would be in spite of me, not because of me. However, if I took pride in that fact publicly, might I not be condemning myself of being guilty of the very thing Jesus spoke against?
That conundrum is resolved by taking myself out of the equation all together. If I set my heart and mind on Jesus Christ, and off of myself, as Paul exhorts us to do in Colossians 3:1-4, I won't have to worry about who is better than who, who is more spiritual than who.
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just respond and let me know.
"Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven."
In this passage, Jesus points out that public religious expressions done for the purpose of highlighting one's own spirituality are rejected by God. He uses the examples of public displays of philanthropy and prayer.
There really are all kinds of examples of this about us. My favorite are the TV evangelists who provide little mini-eruptions of "talking in tongues", etc., that are designed to provide the "correct bona fides" for asking the public to empty their wallets for "the very important work of their ministry". I'm sure you have your favorite examples of like disgusting behavior by those who would pass themselves off as our spiritual betters.
I'm certain there are other, less obvious examples around us as well. But, nonetheless, designed to promote some distinction that a person or their church, or denomination, or whatever, is more spiritual than whatever it is you have. If you pay attention to the discourse in the public square these days (and I can't blame anyone who avoids it!), you have certainly heard the term, "virtue signaling".
Wikipedia defines it as "Virtue signalling is the conspicuous expression of moral values done primarily with the intent of enhancing standing within a social group. The term was first used in signalling theory, to describe any behavior that could be used to signal virtue—especially piety among the religious."
I think Wikipedia might have included the notion that there is intent to communicate "I am better than you". Surely this is at the heart of what Jesus was teaching. Do-gooders who ply their trade often do so to demonstrate just how wonderful they are.
I don't know about you, but I am not wonderful - Jesus Christ is. I really don't have anything to parade in front of others. If anything good ever came by my life, trust me, it would be in spite of me, not because of me. However, if I took pride in that fact publicly, might I not be condemning myself of being guilty of the very thing Jesus spoke against?
That conundrum is resolved by taking myself out of the equation all together. If I set my heart and mind on Jesus Christ, and off of myself, as Paul exhorts us to do in Colossians 3:1-4, I won't have to worry about who is better than who, who is more spiritual than who.
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just respond and let me know.
No comments:
Post a Comment