Secret Works

Do you like to be seen? Do you want others to observe your acts of goodness? Do you tell others about every act of kindness you perform? Are your actions different when being observed by others than when you are alone? Are you being hypocritical?

Most of us want to be seen. But some of us want to be in the spotlight. We want to receive accolades for what we are doing. We may even put on a show of doing good in front of others. If we act differently when alone, we are being hypocritical.

When Jesus says we are to be careful about practicing our righteousness before others, He is not saying we should not participate in worship services. He is telling us not to put on a show of doing good in front of others just to get a pat on the back. If we do that, we have received our reward. We received what we were looking for.

If we read Matthew 6:3, we see the oft quoted “do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing.” The point is not to about actions as much as it is about attitude. Out motivation for doing good must be to show Jesus to others. Many want others to see the large donations they are giving to charitable organizations. They want the moment of recognition or fame.

Jesus tells us to do good without seeking recognition. Do the good privately and without bragging. Do the good work for an individual or make your donation privately. When we do, God will reward us. He will bless us in ways we cannot anticipate and may not see. For God is always working on behalf of those who love him. Therefore, practice your righteousness out of your love for God.

I pray we all are motivated by our love for God. I pray we do our good works without showboating. I pray each one of us will seek a reward from our heavenly Father rather than people. Be motivated by love. Do not showboat. Seek God’s reward. Do your good works without fanfare.

Matthew 6:1 “Beware of practicing your righteousness before others in order to be seen by them, for then you have no reward from your Father in heaven.”

Never Too Late

How long have you been waiting? How long have you failed to confess your wrongdoings? How long have hid your favorite sins? How long have you hoped that God would not strike you down for them? Do you think you have waited too long? Have you given up hope of begin forgiven?

We all keep things hidden. We are hiding one thing or another, and perhaps more than one. We don’t want others to know about it. We sometimes think we can hide it from God. However, that is not the case. God knows it all. We are only punishing ourselves by not confessing.

The prophet Joel states that God is waiting for us. As long as we have breath in our lungs, it is not too late. We can turn back to God. We can grieve over our sins. We can confess them to God and trust that he will forgive us. Rather than continuing to suffer through our guilt, we can go to God on our knees to ask for forgiveness. We can be certain that by his grace and mercy he will accept us back into his loving arms.

We have a choice to make. We can continue to live with our guilt and continue to fool ourselves into thinking we are fooling God. Or we can come clean. We can confess before God (he already knows anyway). When we come clean with God, we relieve our conscience. The heavy weight we have been carrying around is lifted. We are set free.

I pray we all decide to come clean with God. I pray we confess the sins we have been trying to hide. I pray each one of us experience the weight being lifted from our conscience. Come clean. Confess to God. Trust him to forgive you. Clear your conscience. Be relieved. Be set free.

Joel 2:12-13

Yet even now, says the Lord, 

return to me with all your heart, 

with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning; 

rend your hearts and not your clothing. 

Return to the Lord your God, 

for he is gracious and merciful, 

slow to anger, abounding in steadfast love, 

and relenting from punishment.

What Would You Give?

What would you give to receive everything you have always desired? What are you willing to sacrifice? Would you sacrifice having a family? Would you give up a long life? Are you willing to set aside being who God designed you to be to pursue personal achievements?

We don’t typically think about what we must give up to pursue our careers. We don’t often set down to weigh the pros and cons of pursuing fame and fortune, even if it is just locally. We don’t consciously make the decision to sacrifice our families.

Jesus asks a very important question when He asks what profit we have if we gain the whole world but forfeit life. Success, as defined in human and business terms, requires sacrifice. Sometimes it requires extreme sacrifice. It can be as simple as missing your children’s school events and as stressful as going through a bad divorce.

We have a choice. It is really all about priorities. We all struggle with it. We don’t intentionally want to push our spouse and children away. We don’t intentionally want to ignore our parents, especially as they age. Yet, we make choices every day that do just that. We believe we need to spend the extra time in the office. We believe there is something more important for us to do.

Of course, Jesus’ point is, we should make Him our top priority in life. It is when He is our top priority that all other priorities come into focus. As we choose to make Him our top priority, we also choose to follow His commands to love God and love neighbor. It is when we obey those commands that our families become a higher priority.

I pray we all choose to make Jesus our top priority. I pray we choose to obey His commands. I pray each one of us realize we cannot gain worldly success without sacrificing our relationships. Make Jesus your top priority. Obey Jesus’ commands. Live a successful life. Live for Jesus.

Matthew 16:26: For what will it profit them if they gain the whole world but forfeit their life? Or what will they give in return for their life?

Brush with Fame

Have you had an opportunity to recognize who someone is and fail to do so? Have you had a brush with someone famous? Have you driven past someone you know and not recognized them? Have you interacted with someone and not known who they were until long after?

There are times when we brush against someone famous. There may be times when we speak with someone famous but not know it. We may have a once in a lifetime opportunity to interact one on one with a famous person. For whatever reason, we don’t take it.

My wife and I were walking through the airport in St. Louis after getting our baggage late one night. As we were walking to catch the bus to the parking lot to get our vehicle, my wife poked me and asked if I saw him. I asked, “who?” She said, “David Freese.” For those that don’t know, David Freese was the hero for the Cardinals in the 2011 post season. This was a few years later when he was playing for the Pirates. Being from St. Louis, and the Pirates having an off day before playing the Cardinals, he came to town a day early. No, we didn’t go talk to him.

The people of the first century missed seeing the new Elijah or didn’t properly identify him. John the Baptist was identified as the Elijah that would come before the Messiah by Jesus. The disciples saw him. In fact, a couple of them had followed him. And yet, they didn’t realize who he was. Too often we see what we want to see…and nothing more.

I pray we all are observant of the people around us. I pray we recognize when we brush with someone of great faith. I pray each one of us will be better because we learn from them. Be observant. Open your eyes. See people of great faith. Learn from them. Be better for it.

Matthew 17:11-12 He replied, “Elijah is indeed coming and will restore all things, but I tell you that Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him, but they did to him whatever they pleased. So also the Son of Man is about to suffer at their hands.”

Unbelievable Encounter

What is the strangest thing you have ever seen? How did what you saw compare to outlandish scenes put into movies? Did you think it was unbelievable? Did you think it was supernatural? Have you noticed the supernatural and perhaps hard to believe events in the Bible?

Extraordinary things happen. We may see them. We may hear about them. And yet we may find them very hard to believe. We may want to explain them away as a random event. All the while, our brains our telling us we saw it and yet do not know how to process it.

That may have been the initial thought of Peter, James, and John when they went up on the mountain with Jesus. Not only do they see Jesus transfigured and start glowing like a light bulb, but suddenly Moses and Elijah appear out of thin air. They must have been jolted as if they had been struck by lightning. Of course, one question that always pops to mind when I read this passage is: how did they know it was Moses and Elijah? After all, it’s not like they had photographs of them to reference.

So, why is this important and how do we use in our lives today? We could easily dismiss it as something nice to know but has no effect on our faith. But that would be dismissing something important. This encounter demonstrates the power of God, and thereby the power of Jesus. If we are to believe that God is all-powerful, that he can do anything, this is an example of that power. Jesus can be transfigured into a blinding light and God can summon the dead to interact with the living. Yes, the story is bizarre and outlandish. Yet it supports our faith in a God that is not constrained by earthly rules.

I pray we all know that God is not constrained by earthly rules. I pray we know that God is all-powerful. I pray each one of us allow the transfiguration encounter to support our faith. God is not constrained. God is all-powerful. Increase your faith. Be in awe of the transfiguration.

Matthew 17:1-3 Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter and James and his brother John and led them up a high mountain, by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became bright as light. Suddenly there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him.

Prophet and Prophecy

What comes to mind when you hear the word prophecy? Do you immediately think of foretelling the future? Do you think of prophets from the Old Testament? Have you considered there are New Testament prophets? Have you considered there may be prophets today?

If we are regular readers of God’s Word, we likely have some definition in our minds for prophecy and who a prophet is. Unfortunately, our definition may not be complete. A prophet is someone who receives a message from God and speaks that message to others.

Prophecy is the message given by God through the prophet. The message may include admonition, correction, direction, and foretelling the future. We often think of prophecy as solely foretelling the future. We see many references in the New Testament to prophecy in the Old Testament foretelling the coming of the Messiah.

The definition in the basic sense indicates to us that the entire Bible is prophecy, the inspired Word of God. However, we narrow it a bit to those passages that specifically provide God’s guidance and foretelling of events to come. Yet, by the generic definition, those who preach God’s Word today can be considered prophets, since they are generally inspired by God to share a message from his Word with the congregation.

Jesus was considered a prophet by many who heard Him, and rightfully so. Yet, He is much more than a prophet. The key to being a prophet and sharing prophecy is being inspired by God. The message cannot be human generated, but God inspired. The Holy Spirit is at work in the individual. This means the person is listening for and repeating the message the Holy Spirit is relaying to them.

I pray we all understand what it means to be a prophet. I pray we know that prophecy is the inspired Word of God. I pray each one of us identify those who are filled with the Holy Spirit and relaying God’s message. Identify a prophet. Identify prophecy. Listen for the Holy Spirit to speak through others.

2 Peter 1:20-21 First of all you must understand this, that no prophecy of scripture is a matter of one’s own interpretation, because no prophecy ever came by human will, but men and women moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.

Faith and Mystery

There are many things in this world we cannot explain. They come in all forms and are dependent upon our experience and knowledge. For example, most of us do not have a deep understanding of how a computer works. We do not know that every letter on the screen is a series of eight electrical impulses that are either turned on or turned off. We cannot explain how those electrical impulses are interpreted to be displayed so we can read them.

There are also mysteries of God. Science continues to strive to explain them. We continue to seek a better understanding, diving deeper into the mystery. There are also eyewitnesses to some of those mysteries who we fail to believe or at least are skeptical of. What they describe just doesn’t seem to be possible from our human point of view.

The Apostle Peter is such a witness and recounts an improbable, if not unbelievable, story. He first states that what he is writing about is not a myth. I’m sure he was referring to those Greek myths about false gods that were prevalent in the first century and continue to this day. No, he was speaking as an eyewitness to the event. He was with Jesus on the mountain when God made the statement about Him. He saw the appearance of Moses and Elijah.

What Peter is relating to his audience and to us is a mystery of God. It was an amazing revelation to him and continues to be amazing for us. We cannot explain it with science. We do not see it as an everyday normal experience. It isn’t normal by human standards. Because we cannot explain it, we call it a mystery and may struggle to believe it.

The transfiguration of Jesus on the mountain in front of Peter, James, and John reminds us of Moses’ face glowing after being in the presence of God. Moses and Elijah appearing may cause us to think of ghosts. But neither Moses nor Elijah was a ghost. They appeared to Jesus and had a conversation, though we do not know what was said. We do know that God the Father spoke so the apostles could hear and glorified his Son.

We have a choice to make. We can believe the eyewitness or not. We can believe God does mysterious things and acts in mysterious ways or cast it aside as foolishness. It is our faith that will cause us to believe the mystery. It is our faith that will allow us to stop trying to explain the mystery and accept it for what it is. It is our faith in God that will please him.

2 Peter 1:16-18 For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we had been eyewitnesses of his majesty. For he received honor and glory from God the Father when that voice was conveyed to him by the Majestic Glory, saying, “This is my Son, my Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.” We ourselves heard this voice come from heaven, while we were with him on the holy mountain.

Vainly Conspiring

Do you sometimes think it is all pointless? Do you wonder why we, as humans, continue our petty contrivances? Do you wonder when we will realize we are plotting in vain? Have you decided to stop conspiring? Have you decided to give up your vanity?

We see the pointless plotting and conspiring going on in the world. Nation plotting against nation. One organization striving to undermine another. Individuals taking advantage of others. All of it is inspired by the continual seeking to win and the desire to gain more power.

God speaks through the Psalmist and asks the simple question of why. Not only are we striving against one another, but we are striving against God. He knows that he will put an end to our endless pursuit of money and power. There will come a day when God eliminate the evil this world forever. He will destroy earthly powers and institute his reign for eternity.

We often allow our desire to gain wealth, privilege, and power to be our motivation. When we fail to achieve our goals, we become depressed, angry, and perhaps desperate. We are so focused on the moment that we fail to see the big picture. God has already seen it all. He knows the final outcome. He is working all things for the good of those who love him (Romans 8:28).

This does not mean we should not do our very best. We should do everything as though we were working for God (Colossians 3:23). For when we are working for him, we are rewarded by him. Some of those rewards will come in this life, but the greatest reward will come in eternity. God has promised and he fulfills his promises.

I pray we all give up our vain pursuits. I pray we stop conspiring against one another. I pray each one of us choose to do everything for God, seeking to please him in all that we do. Give up your vanity. Cease conspiring. Seek to work together. Keep your focus on God. Seek his guidance.

Psalm 2:1

Why do the nations conspire 

and the peoples plot in vain?

Listen for God

How often do you listen for God to speak to you? Are you listening every day? Are you listening in the midst of troubles? Are you listening when things are going well? Have you chosen to obey God’s commandments? Have you written God’s instruction?

Listening for God to speak is a learned behavior. To learn to listen requires us to practice it regularly. The more we practice it, the better we listen. Listening is an important trait. For God will speak to us far more than we think. He desires to speak to us and for us to listen.

Moses was listening when God told him to go up on the mountain to receive God’s written instructions. We call them the ten commandments. We may have memorized them. Yet there are many more commandments God gave the Israelites after those initial written commandments. There are numerous times God gave instructions to the prophets throughout the Old Testament.

Too often, we read about those instances or hear them mentioned and think we are not of the same importance as those prophets. We often think we are not important enough for God to take notice of us. That line of thinking is often why we pray with a wishful mind rather than a confident mind. It’s not that we don’t believe God can do anything, we believe we are not important enough for him to answer us.

When we decide to listen for God to speak, we will hear him. When we trust him to answer our prayers, we will see him act more than we have before. In the end, it is all about our relationship with God. The closer we get to him, the more we trust him, and the more we will hear him speaking to us. The examples of God speaking to the Old Testament prophets is a reminder that he will speak to us, too.

I pray we all choose to listen for God. I pray we trust he will both speak to us and answer our prayers. I pray each of us seek to build our relationship with God and grow closer to him. Listen for God. God will speak to you. God will answer your prayers. Build your relationship with God. Grow closer to God.

Exodus 24:12 The Lord said to Moses, “Come up to me on the mountain and wait there; I will give you the tablets of stone, with the law and the commandment, which I have written for their instruction.”

Something New

How many things can you think of that people do on Sunday rather than go to church? Do you think it is wrong for people to work on Sunday while going out to eat after worship? Do you believe it is wrong for people to watch worship online?

We can quickly point out many things we think are wrong to do on a Sunday. Maybe it is missing a worship service to go to a NASCAR race. Maybe it is businesses being open on Sunday’s. Maybe it is people choosing not to come to church but watch online.

The leader of the synagogue thought it was wrong for people to come so Jesus would heal them on the Sabbath. He, legalistically, thought the only reason to come to the synagogue was to worship in the traditional style. It never crossed his mind that people could worship Jesus because He healed them on that day.

We can easily get caught in the mindset of “it’s always been done that way,” whether by tradition, habit, or teaching. Not being willing to hear something new is just one of the reasons Jesus was rejected. Many were unwilling to believe God could do something he had never done before when it came to worship.

Before we get carried away, we must first recognize it is good that we attend weekly worship services. When we come with an attitude to worship from deep within our heart, we are renewed. We need that renewal in our lives. We need to know Jesus is with us.

I pray we all open our minds to new things God is doing. I pray we realize that God is relevant in all settings. I pray each one of us choose to worship from the depths of our heart. Open your mind. See God doing new things. God is always relevant. Worship God with all your heart.


Luke 13:15-16: But the Lord answered him and said, “You hypocrites! Does not each of you on the Sabbath untie his ox or his donkey from the manger and lead it to water? And ought not this woman, a daughter of Abraham whom Satan bound for eighteen long years, be set free from this bondage on the Sabbath day?”