Right Priorities 2

Right Priorities 2

“When you do something for someone else, don’t call attention to yourself. You’ve seen them in action, I’m sure—‘playactors’ I call them—treating prayer meeting and street corner alike as a stage, acting compassionate as long as someone is watching, playing to the crowds. They get applause, true, but that’s all they get. When you help someone out, don’t think about how it looks. Just do it—quietly and unobtrusively. That is the way your God, who conceived you in love, working behind the scenes, helps you out. Matthew 6:2‭-‬4 MSG

So long an extract, yet so true. One thing that stands out here is that we are creatures of activity, and our lives seem to be defined by what we do. At no time did God call us to fold our arms and just watch life pass us by; he expects us to make an impact in the place he has planted us, and one of the many ways we can make impact is how we affect the lives of those around us. Giving or the gift of helping is one of the ways.

God is the first and significant expression of giving, as He gave his own best, his Son, as the sacrifice for sin, so we could be reconciled to God. He then asks us to follow his example, and pour out his love in us into other people. If I do not have the real deal, what would I offer? If I do not have what it takes, how do I offer what it takes and in the way God commands?

God warns about the motive. Unfortunately, all man sees is the activity itself, and man makes decisions based on what is seen. We applaud and praise men based on what we see, yet God is not moved. He judges man based on the state of his heart, and while men may applaud, God may be rejecting both the life as well as the gift. Man's natural tendency is to seek human approval, but God would have us seek higher priorities, where we seek only to please Him, nothing and no one else.

And his reward is coming. The greatest blessing I could have is to know what God approves of, and get right to it. In the final analysis, it really would not matter what I did; the reason why I did it will be the basis of reward and judgment. Whilst man is fighting for recognition, God is looking for men and women who will be His hands, eyes and mouth. These people will get God's help in ways that are amazing, and then the world, including those who sought cheap popularity and human applause will sit up and take notice. His time of favour is here.