FEBRUARY 05 THE JESUS QUESTIONS JQ#02 “For if you love those who love you, what reward have you …and if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others?” (Matthew 5:46-47)
LIVING FOR JESUS Daily Prayer
JESUS, You Lord are to be praised by all mankind for there is not a soul that was ever born that did not or does not benefit from Your Great Sacrifice on the Cross in Obedience to the Father’s Will because You, God’s Only Begotten Son suffered and died for the sins of the world, ALL SIN for EVERY SOUL — so Lord Jesus I acknowledge that You paid my Debt and Ransomed me from my slavery to sin and I claim You as my Redeemer, may I now be found to be a “good and faithful servant” and that one day in glory I will hear You say, “Well Done!” AMEN
THE JESUS QUESTIONS
JESUS used multiple Questions in Matthew 5:46-47 to basically bring to our mind the necessity of using our talents to help others instead of being selfish and looking out only for ourselves. Jesus brought up the topic of “Love” and pointed out that if we intend to spend our eternity in heaven with God then we should start living our lives in such a manner that it would be pleasing to God who demonstrated His “Love” for us that “While we were still sinners, [God gave us His Gift of His Only Begotten Son Jesus Christ to the world and] Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8) Jesus made it clear that to receive a “reward in heaven” that we should “Love others” while on earth! Jesus then starts a series of Lessons on how we should be like God in our actions so that others will not see us but will see the “glory of God” shining forth from our actions! Jesus commanded at the end of Matthew chapter 5, “Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.” (Matthew 5:48) and then Jesus begins immediately to instruct us on how to “be perfect” as He teaches: “Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them. Otherwise, you have no reward from your Father in heaven. Therefore, when you do a charitable deed, do not sound a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory from men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. But when you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what you right hand is doing, that your charitable deed may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly.” (Matthew 6:1-4) So in our first step to being “perfect” before God is that we must do “charitable deeds” for others but Jesus warns us not to be “hypocrites” — it is very interesting that Jesus tells us to do “charitable deeds” but immediately condemns “the hypocrites in the synagogues” that are doing “charitable deeds”!?!?!? The term “hypocrites” is always used by Jesus to describe those that “do good things” but that they do them “for the wrong reason” which is a VERY IMPORTANT LESSON on “doing for others” — for Jesus tells us that we should do our “charitable deeds in secret” and avoid the temptation to make ourselves look good in front of other men which would make us “hypocrites” in God’s eyes but we should do our “charitable deeds” in such a manner that we do not get any personal credit but that others would benefit from our “charitable deeds” and “your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly.”!!! The VERY IMPORTANT LESSON is that we should GIVE TO HELP OTHERS and TRUST GOD FOR HIS REWARDS. Every time we seek glory from men for some action that we have done we risk being “hypocrites” for when we act on God’s behalf but we do it to receive personal glory from men, we have robbed God! If we do our “charitable deeds” to glorify God, then and only then will God get the glory and we will receive a reward from “God Himself” — man cannot match the Gift of God nor can man give a reward that comes close to matching God’s Rewards!!! So our first step in “perfection” then is to imitate God and do “charitable deeds” in His Name and for the kingdom's sake and not for our own personal glory!!!
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