Matthew chapter six begins by addressing the personal expressions of righteousness that people often associate with religious activity—giving, prayer, and fasting. Jesus affirms the importance of these practices but insists that they be carried out in secret, directed toward God rather than toward human recognition. Again and again, He warns that you cannot live for two audiences. You cannot serve both God and man.
The choice is clear. You may choose, out of vanity, to put your devotion on display in order to be noticed and applauded by people. If so, you will receive exactly what you are after: the reward of human admiration. But if you practice your faith in humility, seeking only the approval of God, then your reward will come from Him. The difference between the two could not be greater.
Humility naturally expresses itself in secrecy. The humble person does not feel compelled to draw attention or impress others. Even when recognition comes, it should be received with gratitude, acknowledging that every good thing originates from God. Yet there is always a danger of false humility—an insincere modesty that still seeks praise in subtle ways. The human heart is deceitful and clever at fishing for compliments. I’ve often admitted that I cannot recall a time when my motives were entirely pure and undiluted. There always seems to be some mixture of pride, even in doing something in secret.
But if we wait until our motives are perfectly pure, we would never act at all. We must avoid the paralysis of over-analysis. The important question is this: Am I more concerned for God’s glory than for my own reputation? Simply asking that question reveals the struggle within us. Yet the very fact that we wrestle with it is itself a sign of grace.
Earlier in this chapter, in the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus gave us a model for aligning our hearts. The prayer begins not with our needs but with God’s glory: “Hallowed be Your name, Your kingdom come, Your will be done.” I once prayed regularly that I would be jealous for God’s reputation, ambitious for His glory, and passionate for His pleasure. Only later did I realize how closely these desires correspond to the Lord’s Prayer. To be jealous for His reputation is to hallow His name. To be ambitious for His glory is to seek His kingdom. To be passionate for His pleasure is to desire His will. God’s will is always His pleasure, and His pleasure is always what is best—for Him and for us.