“But when you fast, comb your hair and wash your face. Then no one will notice that you are fasting, except your Father, who knows what you do in private. And your Father, who sees everything, will reward you.”
- Matthew 6:17
In this passage in Matthew, Jesus teaches that we should not pray publicly on street corners and synagogues just to be seen. Rather than rambling and repeating words in prayer, God knows what we need and he showed us that we should pray in the manner of the Lord's prayer. Similarly, when we fast, we should not be trying to make ourselves look miserable and disheveled such that people can be in awe of us fasting.
Our faith is not for show. Instead, when we enter a relationship with Christ, it is intimate. God is our father, and our conversations and our relationship with him is holy. It is private and it is between you and God. As a Christian, it is not about how honourable we look, or how well we are able to appear as the stereotypical 'Good Christian'. What matters is our relationship with God behind closed doors. God knows our true intentions. Let your life as a Christian be lived with humility, with honesty, and without fanfare.
Reflection: Is there anything that you do that is more 'for show' as a good Christian? How can you deepen your private relationship with God?
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Thank you, Karyn Lau, for your inspiring Christian advice on Christian Calm Radio. To deepen your relationship with God, let devotional Christian music inspire you. Listen to Christian instrumental music, Christian worship music, psalms and hymns, Christian choirs and Bible audiobooks.