The Higher Devotion or Kissing and Telling

“Beware of practicing your righteousness before men to be noticed by them; otherwise you have no reward with your Father who is in heaven. “So when you give to the poor, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be honored by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. But when you give to the poor, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving will be in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you. “When you pray, you are not to be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on the street corners so that they may be seen by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. But you, when you pray, go into your inner room, close your door and pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you. “And when you are praying, do not use meaningless repetition as the Gentiles do, for they suppose that they will be heard for their many words. So do not be like them; for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him. “Pray, then, in this way: ‘Our Father who is in heaven,Hallowed be Your name.‘Your kingdom come.Your will be done,On earth as it is in heaven.‘Give us this day our daily bread.‘And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.‘And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. [For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.’] For if you forgive others for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions. “Whenever you fast, do not put on a gloomy face as the hypocrites do, for they neglect their appearance so that they will be noticed by men when they are fasting. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face so that your fasting will not be noticed by men, but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you. “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. “The eye is the lamp of the body; so then if your eye is clear, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light that is in you is darkness, how great is the darkness! “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth. “For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they? And who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life? And why are you worried about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin, yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? You of little faith! Do not worry then, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear for clothing?’ For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. “So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Many deeds can be performed in the name of religion, the church, or Jesus Christ.

We may become proud of our goodness, and it becomes difficult to contain ourselves.

It is difficult not to tell everyone around us what wonderful things we have done. This urge makes us feel better about ourselves when we fulfill it.

We think – at least someone knows I am doing important things.

Now they know how important or how spiritual I am.

In Matthew chapter 6, Jesus addresses several things and situations.

He says we are to be doing --- giving, praying, fasting, seeking God’s Kingdom.

But rather than saying we should “kiss and tell” (that is, tell everyone we know how great or important we are), Jesus says, “Keep it to yourself.”

READ: Matthew 6:1:

“Beware of practicing your righteousness before men to be noticed by them; otherwise, you have no reward with your Father who is in Heaven.”

Let’s look separately at each of these activities Jesus lists here to see the higher devotion Jesus expects of us as we make them a part of our everyday life.

Giving to the Needy – verses 2 and 4

“So when you give to the poor, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be honored by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. But when you give to the poor, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving will be in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.

Here is the way we would say that in today’s language –

“Don’t toot your own horn,”

Real generosity is for the help of our brothers and sisters who are in need.

These should be unseen acts of mercy and kindness.

No announcement – No honor or glory from the people around you.

Real help comes without fanfare – Real help is done in secret. By that, I don’t mean sneaky – I mean – without seeking or expecting honor for your act of kindness.

It has been done in hypocrisy if we seek recognition for acts of kindness or mercy. We are simply playing a part.

We are saying – “look what I did” rather than recognizing that that poor soul’s needs were met – and leave off the “met by ME.”

After addressing Giving to the Needy, Jesus speaks about Prayer (5-15).

 “When you pray, you are not to be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on the street corners so that they may be seen by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. But you, when you pray, go into your inner room, close your door and pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you. “And when you are praying, do not use meaningless repetition as the Gentiles do, for they suppose that they will be heard for their many words. So do not be like them; for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him. “Pray, then, in this way: ‘Our Father who is in heaven,Hallowed be Your name.‘Your kingdom come.Your will be done,On earth as it is in heaven.‘Give us this day our daily bread.‘And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.‘And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. [For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.’] For if you forgive others for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions.

I believe that sometimes, in public prayers, we get it wrong. Prayers are often voiced to be heard by those surrounding us—in a group, in a congregation.

But vital, fervent prayers are for the ears of our Father God.

Jesus tells us not to pray to be seen and heard by those people who are around us – close enough to hear what we pray.

The kind of prayer Jesus teaches about here is “closet praying.”

“Closet Prayers” are prayers that only God needs to hear.

So, where does that place public prayers – in a congregational, or small group setting? Is Jesus saying “do not pray aloud while you are gathered as a group?

Of course not! He is simply cautioning us to be careful that the value or effect of our prayer is not in its length or in its “holy words”, or in its volume.

He wants to hear our prayers, and He has excellent hearing powers, and, in fact, He loves to hear our prayers. He yearns to hear our prayers.

Why do you suppose He loves to hear our prayers? I think it is because He is like our earthly fathers in many ways.

We love to hear our children speak to us, to have conversations with us about what is going on in their lives, what challenges they are facing at any particular time, to ask our advice when they have a decision to make, and in many other situations all of our children encounter and need parental advice.

That is also God’s position. He already knows what is going on in our lives, but He yearns to hear us tell Him about our struggles and our joys.

He is eager to hear us seek His advice on whatever decision or dilemma we must give an answer.

God knows our needs, but He wants to hear them from us. He wants us to depend upon His understanding, compassion, and wisdom.

In addition to prayer being for the ears of God, Real prayer is to the point.

What is the most well-known and most memorized prayer we find in Scripture?

Of course, it is found in this 6th Chapter of the Gospel of Matthew.

It is widely known and recognized as The Lord’s Prayer.

How many words are in this prayer that Jesus says is how we should pray?

In my Bible, which is the New American Standard Bible (NASB) there are only 66 words. The New International Version (NIV) has only 52 words.

Although Scripture does not teach that this is the only prayer we should pray, it is often known as the “Model Prayer” or the Lord’s Prayer.

The point here is that Jesus gave us a model, or example, of what the substance of our prayers should be.

The fact that His prayer is only 52 words does not suggest that our prayers should be limited to a few words.

On the other hand, I believe it indicates that Jesus is teaching that lengthy prayers—particularly public prayers—are not required for God to be heard.

I don’t know about you, but in my private prayers, my mind often drifts somewhere else, and I have to be jogged back to talking with my Lord. So, my prayers may often go on and on. I may even go to sleep while praying, wake very quickly, and pick up where I left off.

I also believe that in our private prayers, we need to be aware of God's work in and through our prayers, and we need to stop and listen. Sometimes, God answers prayer even as we are praying.

That answer may not be what we expected or hoped for, but it will be what is in our best interest and for God’s glory.

Another element of prayer is Fasting (verses 16-18).

“Whenever you fast, do not put on a gloomy face as the hypocrites do, for they neglect their appearance so that they will be noticed by men when they are fasting. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face so that your fasting will not be noticed by men, but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.

What is the purpose of fasting? Fasting requires real, genuine sacrifice. And that real sacrifice is for the need of the soul.

Fasting is a time of consecration, feeding the soul and the spirit. Christians often practice fasting in preparation for an important event or when they are facing a challenging task.

Fasting must be done without any acknowledgment – that is, we don’t advertise our decision to fast.

Real fasting is unseen.

People in Scripture were chastised for causing themselves to appear to be sickly or weak so that people would know they were fasting.

Jesus speaks against any public acknowledgment that a person is fasting.

The person who is fasting receives nourishment from within – an inward nourishment – without being visible.

In fasting, our reward comes in being ready for the work, not in self-glory or acknowledgement from others.

In Matthew 6, verses 19-34, Jesus speaks about Seeking God’s Kingdom.

“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. “The eye is the lamp of the body; so then if your eye is clear, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light that is in you is darkness, how great is the darkness! “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth. “For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they? And who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life? And why are you worried about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin, yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? You of little faith! Do not worry then, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear for clothing?’ For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. “So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

The real trust that we have in God is for the security of our future,

The treasures we may accumulate in our earthly lives do not last.

Our earthly treasures are intertwined in our hearts. Our master must be determined – earthly treasures or treasures laid up in Heaven?

In all of our conversations with our Lord, our most vital concern must be for the important, eternal things, which, of course, are not things at all.

Our real concern must be for those qualities that are valuable in God’s sight.

Our care, love and devotion to our Savior, Jesus Christ, and our Father God.

The birds of the air, and the lilies of the field.

Or faith plays a great part in our journey in this life.

When we seek those things first, everything else – what we will eat, what we will drink, the clothing on our backs – all of that will follow.

So, what can we take away from Jesus’ teaching in His sermon on the Mount?

Here is what I believe it is –

Give so that others might be blessed.

Pray so that your Father will hear you.

Fast, so that your soul might be prepared.

Seek the Kingdom without worrying about needs God already provides.

Not once are we encouraged to seek glory and honor for ourselves. It is always to be directed toward others and God our Father.

The honor, the glory, the attention is to go to Him.

Are we paying attention to Him? Are we doing those things just mentioned?

And, when we are, are they done with God’s will in mind, or are they for our own gratification?

Let us examine the motives behind our actions. Let Jesus Christ receive the honor and the glory only He deserves.