Seven-Day Practical Faith Blog: A City on a Hill, or a Secret?

Matthew 5:14,16 "You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden...In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven."

Matthew 6:1,3-4 "Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven...But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you."

So, which is it, Jesus? A few verses apart in the Sermon on the Mount, you seem to give us different instructions. As we live out our faith, are we supposed to be good Christians in front of everyone, or do our good works in secret?

This confusing instruction can be sorted out by our motivations. If our motivation is to glorify God, then public good deeds are preferred. But if our motivation might be to glorify ourselves, let's do our good deeds secretly so the benefit is to others and not to ourselves.

I think the key phrase is in Matthew 6:1 - "to be seen by them." Jesus warns that if we're trying to get attention through our righteous deeds, then we'll learn God dismisses self-serving actions.

Saying that we want to glorify God with our good works in an easy answer. In practice, it's much harder.

I think of someone at my church who did something good, not seeking attention. But then her efforts were called out and celebrated on the big screen during worship. While flattering and hopefully an encouragement to others, I wonder if it was also uncomfortable and somewhat negated her good deed.

This is a dilemma for Christian authors like me, and we are an example of what every one of us faces. Sometimes you have to say, "Look at me," before you can say, "Look at Jesus."

The way I've rectified this for myself, whether in youth ministry or in teaching adults or in my current ministry, is to think about ultimate goals. My ultimate goal is to point people toward God, and specifically their savior, Jesus Christ. As long as I focus on the ultimate goal, any notoriety or appreciation that comes my way is the means, not the end; grace and blessing, not reward.

We can strike a balance between public and private good deeds. It's possible to give or volunteer secretly with stipulations that we are not celebrated in any way.

I hope this helps as we all put our faith into practice. Let us purify our motivations, aim to glorify God, accept any unexpected recognition as blessing, and reject or modify any ventures that might unnecessarily glorify ourselves. This plan allows us to straddle and obey both instructions of Jesus.

If you missed it, I'm joyful and excited about my latest Practical Faith Academy podcast episode with Dallas/Ft. Worth TV personality Chip Waggoner. Chip and I go back a long way, as we describe during the episode. His book, "M.I.P. (Miracle in Progress)," is an amazing story of his family's faith journey through personal health crisis. You can find the podcast at CecilTaylorMinistries. com/podcast, or by searching for "Practical Faith Academy" on major podcast platforms.