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Gentle Reader,
A mind ruled by the Spirit leads to a lifestyle led by the Spirit.
Over the weekend I was reminded of these words, spoken by our Lord:
“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. So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.” – Matthew 6:1-4 (NIV)
We might slap something like “God led me to…” or “I want to love others…” on it, but if we’re going around telling everyone about the good we’ve done, whether face to face or via social networking, we’re really in it for ourselves. We’re trying to silence that voice inside our heads that screams, “You’re insignificant!” We’re trying to prove something. Trying to show that we’re better than, more than.
That’s not life. That’s not peace.
And it’s not what God desires.
