Daily Scripture:
Matthew 6:1- “Be careful not to parade your acts of tzedakah in front of people in order to be seen by them! If you do, you have no reward from your Father in heaven. 2 So, when you do tzedakah, don’t announce it with trumpets to win people’s praise, like the hypocrites in the synagogues and on the streets. Yes! I tell you, they have their reward already! 3 But you, when you do tzedakah, don’t even let your left hand know what your right hand is doing. 4 Then your tzedakah will be in secret; and your Father, who sees what you do in secret, will reward you.
5 “When you pray, don’t be like the hypocrites, who love to pray standing in the synagogues and on street corners, so that people can see them. Yes! I tell you, they have their reward already! 6 But you, when you pray, go into your room, close the door, and pray to your Father in secret. Your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
7 “And when you pray, don’t babble on and on like the pagans, who think God will hear them better if they talk a lot. 8 Don’t be like them, because your Father knows what you need before you ask him. 9 You, therefore, pray like this:
‘Our Father in heaven!
May your Name be kept holy.
10 May your Kingdom come,
your will be done on earth as in heaven.
11 Give us the food we need today.
12 Forgive us what we have done wrong,
as we too have forgiven those who have wronged us.
13 And do not lead us into hard testing,
but keep us safe from the Evil One.
[Matthew 6:13 The latter half of verse 13 is not found in the oldest manuscripts.]For kingship, power and glory are yours forever.
Amen.’
14 For if you forgive others their offenses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you; 15 but if you do not forgive others their offenses, your heavenly Father will not forgive yours.
16 “Now when you fast, don’t go around looking miserable, like the hypocrites. They make sour faces so that people will know they are fasting. Yes! I tell you, they have their reward already! 17 But you, when you fast, wash your face and groom yourself, 18 so that no one will know you are fasting — except your Father, who is with you in secret. Your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. (Complete Jewish Bible).
Reflection Questions:
Jesus would warn graduates to beware of the urge to live a life mainly aimed at impressing others. Pastor Adam Hamilton noted, “The greatest leaders, and the people who have a significant impact on the world, are not those who were never criticized. Instead, they are those who, when criticized, did not give up.”* Jesus taught what we call the Lord’s Prayer, but not as a magic formula for us to recite by rote. It was a model to guide us into personal, trusting prayer, done not to impress people or God, but simply to help us connect honestly with God.
- J. K. Rowling said, “Ultimately, we all have to decide for ourselves what constitutes failure, but the world is quite eager to give you a set of criteria if you let it.”** It can take courage to live a life guided by God’s principles even when “the world” misunderstands and criticizes you. Have you ever had to ignore the “set of criteria” that family, friends or co-workers wanted to impose on you to live out God’s calling on your life?
- Here’s a simple way to examine who you’re trying to impress, shared by Pastor John Ortberg: “Every once in a while do something good and try to make sure no one finds out about it.”*** Why not try that this week? Keep some notes (only for your eyes, and God’s) about how it feels to increase your freedom from what Ortberg called “the narcotic of approval.”
Lord Jesus, I want you to be the “audience of one” to whom I direct my life focus and energy. Keep teaching me how to live every moment as though I am in your presence—because I am. Amen.
* Hamilton, Adam. Unafraid: Living with Courage and Hope in Uncertain Times (p. 103). The Crown Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.
** Quoted from text of speech at https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2008/06/text-of-j-k-rowling-speech/.
*** John Ortberg, The Life You’ve Always Wanted. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2002, p. 168.
Read today's Insight by Wendy Connelly
Wendy Connelly is a wife and mom earning her Masters of Divinity in May 2018. She podcasts on spirituality at TheLiftPodcast.org and serves on the Board of Advisors for Miracle of Innocence, a non-profit dedicated to helping the falsely imprisoned find justice.
Wendy Connelly is a wife and mom earning her Masters of Divinity in May 2018. She podcasts on spirituality at TheLiftPodcast.org and serves on the Board of Advisors for Miracle of Innocence, a non-profit dedicated to helping the falsely imprisoned find justice.
I love this quote from Byron Katie: “Spare yourself from seeking love, approval or appreciation from anyone. And watch what happens in reality, just for fun.”
It rings of truth, doesn’t it? But how terrible to feel unloved, disapproved of and unappreciated! Our reptilian brains recoil at being so devalued and ostracized, and rightly so. Our acceptance by the tribe, our sense of belonging around that primitive campfire near the cave, was once a matter of life and death. Our very survival depended on it.
And many of us, forgetting we’ve evolved, still live like that’s true today.
As I reflect back on the periods in my life when I’ve been too concerned with winning the approval of others—friends, family, colleagues, bosses—I flinch. I see a ragged-worn sliver of a soul, hustling hard for attention and achievement: “Look at me!” “See what I‘ve accomplished?” “Hey, hey you! Pay attention!”
Amidst all that hustle for a mere crumb of acknowledgment, some small scrap of praise, I felt increasingly diminished, devalued and depleted. Why? Because in seeking the approval of others, I was allowing them—equally flawed human beings—to determine my worth. And my attention-seeking behaviors were driving my keepers-of-worth away in repulsion.
“Don’t blow your trumpet as the hypocrites do so that they may get praise from people,” warns Jesus, savior of our souls.
Today I feel bold, confident, happy at who I am, and not because others approve of me. Quite often, they don’t. I feel my worth radiating outward from a Father who is present in that secret place at the very depth of my soul, which is imbued with value and marked with the signature of its Creator.
If you are hustling for the approval of others, how’s that working for you? Maybe it’s time to take back your power.
“Spare yourself from seeking love, approval or appreciation from anyone. And watch what happens in reality, just for fun.”
Like this post? Share it!
You might also like:
It rings of truth, doesn’t it? But how terrible to feel unloved, disapproved of and unappreciated! Our reptilian brains recoil at being so devalued and ostracized, and rightly so. Our acceptance by the tribe, our sense of belonging around that primitive campfire near the cave, was once a matter of life and death. Our very survival depended on it.
And many of us, forgetting we’ve evolved, still live like that’s true today.
As I reflect back on the periods in my life when I’ve been too concerned with winning the approval of others—friends, family, colleagues, bosses—I flinch. I see a ragged-worn sliver of a soul, hustling hard for attention and achievement: “Look at me!” “See what I‘ve accomplished?” “Hey, hey you! Pay attention!”
Amidst all that hustle for a mere crumb of acknowledgment, some small scrap of praise, I felt increasingly diminished, devalued and depleted. Why? Because in seeking the approval of others, I was allowing them—equally flawed human beings—to determine my worth. And my attention-seeking behaviors were driving my keepers-of-worth away in repulsion.
“Don’t blow your trumpet as the hypocrites do so that they may get praise from people,” warns Jesus, savior of our souls.
Today I feel bold, confident, happy at who I am, and not because others approve of me. Quite often, they don’t. I feel my worth radiating outward from a Father who is present in that secret place at the very depth of my soul, which is imbued with value and marked with the signature of its Creator.
If you are hustling for the approval of others, how’s that working for you? Maybe it’s time to take back your power.
“Spare yourself from seeking love, approval or appreciation from anyone. And watch what happens in reality, just for fun.”
Like this post? Share it!
You might also like:
- True goodness is internal, not external
- True happiness: living as God’s salt and light
- Prayer Tip: What Would Jesus Say to Graduates?
- Jesus modeled lifelong concern for his mother
- Jesus’ allegiance to God went beyond family, if necessary
- Or download this week's printable GPS.
©2017 Church of the Resurrection. All Rights Reserved.
Scripture quotations are taken from The Common English Bible ©2011.
Used by permission. All rights reserved.
The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection
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