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)

 

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!!!