Daily Bible Study

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Day 8 Matthew 6 Matthew 6:1 Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven. 2 Therefore when thou do thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. 3 But when thou do alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand does: 4 That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which sees in secret himself shall reward thee openly. 5 And when thou pray, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. 6 But thou, when thou pray, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which sees in secret shall reward thee openly. 7 But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking. 8 Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knows what things ye have need of, before ye ask him. 9 After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. 10 Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. 11 Give us this day our daily bread. 12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. 13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen. 14 For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: 15 But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. 16 Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. 17 But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face; 18 That thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret: and thy Father, which sees in secret, shall reward thee openly. 19 Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: 20 But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: 21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. 22 The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light. 23 But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness! 24 No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon. 25 Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? 26 Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are ye not much better than they? 27 Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? 28 And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: 29 And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? 31 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? 32 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knows that ye have need of all these things. 33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. 34 Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof. Vanity is the downfall of many people. Everything they do is with how they will appear before their peers and elders. They make certain everyone knows what they do, the contributions they make, the people they help. Jesus told the people in his Sermon on the Mount, they weren’t to be concerned with how much they gave to the poor, or proclaiming for all who would listen, to their accolades of accomplishments, or praying so everyone would hear how pious they were. Instead, they were to be private about what they did. Their contributions, their accomplishments, and prayer, were to be done in the privacy of their home and not for everyone to see and hear, but only for their heavenly Father to see and hear what they did. As Christians, it’s easy to fall into the trap of accomplishment, to let everyone know your achievements. It’s easy in prayer meetings to pray lengthy prayers for different needs, and that isn’t wrong, unless you are doing it for show and not out of the sincerity of your heart. Every Christian has gifts given to them by the Holy Spirit. These gifts allow them to be all they can be for God, helping those in need, praying for God’s favor on their lives, praying for the salvation of their loved ones. When you give God the credit for your accomplishments, and not take any glory for yourself, God will reward you. He will see to it you have everything you need for body and soul. Satan will always be there to tell you how good you are. Pride and vanity are the tools he uses against you. You must put down everything that takes glory away from God and puts it on you. John the Baptist said he, Jesus, must increase, while he, John, decreased. John 3:26 And they came unto John, and said unto him, Rabbi, he that was with thee beyond Jordan, to whom thou bare witness, behold, the same baptizes, and all men come to him. 27 John answered and said, A man can receive nothing, except it be given him from heaven. 28 Ye yourselves bear me witness, that I said, I am not the Christ, but that I am sent before him. 29 He that hath the bride is the bridegroom: but the friend of the bridegroom, which stands and hears him, rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice: this my joy therefore is fulfilled. 30 He must increase, but I must decrease. 31 He that comes from above is above all: he that is of the earth is earthly, and speaks of the earth: he that comes from heaven is above all. 32 And what he hath seen and heard, that he testifies; and no man receives his testimony. 33 He that hath received his testimony hath set to his seal that God is true. 34 For he whom God hath sent speaks the words of God: for God gives not the Spirit by measure unto him. 35 The Father loves the Son, and hath given all things into his hand. 36 He that believes on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believes not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abides on him. John did not take credit for anything he did by the power of the Holy Spirit. He gave all glory to Jesus because he knew Jesus was the Son of God. He was only the messenger. As Christians, you are messengers, proclaiming what God has done in you, not giving or keeping any of the glory for yourself. Paul said you are to cast down every imagination that lifts you up. 2 Corinthians 10:3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: 4 (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds;) 5 Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ; 6 And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled. When you give God the glory for everything you are, then God who sees what you do in secret, will reward you openly. People will see God’s blessing on your life, and some will even envy you for it, but you must not take pride in your accomplishments, but always give the credit and glory to God. Let’s pray: Father, all that I am and have is from you. I am nothing. Let me never lift myself above what you have done in me. Help me give you all the glory for what you do in me. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen. Copyright © 26 April 2018 by Valerie Routhieaux Image courtesy of Pixabay