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Living in God's PresenceSample

Living in God's Presence

DAY 9 OF 10

Whose appreciation are you looking for?

“Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 6:1)

Jesus mentions some examples of praiseworthy religious behavior: praying, fasting, and giving to the needy. Jesus says if we do these things, our heavenly Father will reward us. But He makes an important remark here. Many people in Jesus’ day, and probably just as many people nowadays, did these things with the wrong intentions. Their aim was not primarily to honor God, but “to be seen by other people.” They used their religious duties to show off. That makes their behavior worthless in God’s eyes! This is just an outward show, not living in God’s presence.

Much of our relationship with the Lord God may not even be visible to others. When we pray, we often do so “in secret,” on our own. When we give to the needy, others need not know about it. But that does not make it useless! Living with God has a worth of its own, independent of material reward or other people’s appreciation. If we spend time with God, this is time well spent even though nobody may notice; for God does. “Your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.”

Day 8Day 10

About this Plan

Living in God's Presence

Being a Christian is about reading your Bible, praying to God, and attending church services, right? Yes, it is, but there is much more. As a Christian, you live coram Deo, before God. You continually live in His presence. You live under His authority and to His glory. This reading plan explains how you can walk with God every day of your life.

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We would like to thank GlobalRize for providing this plan. For more information, please visit: http://www.globalrize.org