Verse: Matthew 6:16-18
“When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show
men they are fasting. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. 17 But when
you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, 18 so that it will not be obvious to men that
you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done
in secret, will reward you. “

Devotion
It’s not hard for us to understand what Jesus was telling his followers with these three
sentences. Since the Pharisees would normally fast twice a week, everyone would have seen
them looking sad and in agony while fasting. They would even put ashes on their faces. They
would do this to show others how spiritual they were. Jesus said that if you are fasting to put a
show on for others, then your reward is not a heavenly one but an earthly one.

Don’t we do this today but in other ways. We may dress one way for church, more conservative
to show others we are God honoring, and then much less conservative to attract the attention of
others. Maybe we are very generous to a friend or a cause (a good thing) and then make sure
that everyone hears about our generosity (looking for the praise of others). You may have a
really good morning routine of reading the Bible and praying. Do you ever feel a need to tell
others about this?

We all want to look good in the eyes of others. We want to be thought of as good Christians.
The real question in all these examples is, what are our motives. Are we generous to glorify
God? Do we study the word and pray to become closer to God? That is what fasting is for, to
bring us closer to God. If we let our natural inclination to look good in front of others, we begin
to lose the original purpose. To do these things just for God with no other benefit brings us
closer to Him. Don’t you feel close to someone you have shared a secret with? Our reward is a
new closeness to the one who loves to see us do good and to love others.

This week, let’s examine our motives and be determined to seek closeness to God vs honor
from others.

Prayer
Dear God, you know our hearts. Help us to stay true to your word and to honor you in secret
when that is your desire. Check our motives and help us to desire closeness to you.

Author: Brad Dunn