Day 15

CLEAN UP THE INSIDE!

  • JESUS CALLS FOR “ANONYMOUS GENEROSITY” TO THOSE IN NEED

GOD’S WORD: “Be careful not to do your ‘acts of righteousness’ before men, 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 men. I tell you the truth, 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)

REFLECTION-DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

  1. Why is it so very important that I not put my “religious acts on display” for others to see for them to affirm me?
  2. What is the difference between “letting my light shineand advertising my good deeds”?
  3. What is the core meaning of “hypocrite”? (Clue: the term is taken from the theater)
  4. Why is hypocrisy “so offensive” to both believers and unbelievers?
  5. Does this commandment have more to do with “action or intention”?
  6. Whom do I really “want to impress” with my kind deeds of generosity?
  • JESUS CALLS FOR “CLOSET PRAYERS” FOR ONLY THE FATHER TO HEAR

GOD’S WORD: “Be careful not to do your ‘acts of righteousness’ before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven. . .

And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

“This, then, is how you should pray: ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.’

For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins. (Matthew 6:1, 5-15, NIV)

REFLECTION-DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

  1. Is this instruction more about “action or intent”?
  2. What is the real difference between humble “closet prayers and publicprayers for religious display”?
  3. Is there any place for “public prayers” among the Lord’s people? (clue: see 1 Corinthians 11:4-5)
  4. Where are some of the places I have found for my private “closet prayers” alone with the Father?
  5. Since some Bibles translate “babbling as vain repetitions” for repetitive prayers, what might be some examples of this kind of praying even today?
  6. What does it mean to approach the Lord as “Our Father”?
  7. What is the relationship between “Your kingdom come and your will be done on earth as it is in heaven”?
  8. What is the significance of praying only for “daily bread”?
  9. What is the powerful impact of “forgive us our sins as we have forgiven others their sins”?
  • JESUS CALLS FOR “FASTING WITH SMILES” AND ONLY FOR FATHER

GOD’S WORD: “Be careful not to do your ‘acts of righteousness’ before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven. . .

“When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show men they are fasting. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that it will not be obvious to men that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

(Matthew 6:1, 16-18, NIV)

REFLECTION-DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

  1. Is fasting primarily for “private devotion to the Lord or for public religious display to others”?
  2. What are some positive ways that people might get caught up in “displaying their fasting (giving up) of foods or other things to the Lord” for a given time as an act of devotion?
  3. What is meant by the teaching against “disfiguring their faces” when people are fasting?

(Clue: ancient religious people often displayed their repentance toward the Lord by applying with ashes to themselves)

  1. What did Jesus mean by the phrase “put oil on your head and wash your face” during periods of true fasting?
  2. What are the “benefits of fasting” if it is done with the right spirit and with pure motives?