Disciplined Christian Living Series

Anyway, why would anyone even want to do whatever good they do so others will take notice? People are so fickle . . . Generally speaking, do people outside your circle of family and friends really care?

A colleague of mine remarked: “If you worried too much about what people think of you, you’d probably be disappointed to discover how seldom they did.”

A young lady by the name of Serena Williams won the Wimbledon Tennis Tournament for the first time. A reporter asked her if it bothered her that many of the English fans were rooting against her. She politely said, “No. I understand. I’m not British. What’s more, there have been people rooting against me all my life. Besides, my dad was sitting in those stands, and I knew he was rooting for me. And I wanted to please him. That’s all that matters to me.”

Shouldn’t it be that the heavenly Father’s approval and His “well done thou good and faithful servant” is what matters most to children of God?

Jesus challenged us to focus on giving, praying and fasting as worship of the kind referenced by Paul: “I urge you, in view of God’s mercy, to offer yourselves as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God – all of which is your spiritual worship.” That is to say, our motive for all that we do is to honor our Father who art in heaven and to express His love via who we are and what we do.

Thus, for example, giving is a way for you and me to honor God by doing something about that need we became aware of - simply because it’s the right thing to do.”

At our level of maturity, we no longer have to be reminded . . . instinctively we respond, and give it no second thought, no expectation of a favor in return.

Likewise, our praying has become an act of worship for the sake of our own spiritual well-being as well as that of others. We have come to realize that there is nothing to be gained, either spiritually or materially, by “babbling” . . . by “badgering” the One who already knows our needs.

“It is not our prayers that move God. It is God who moves us to pray.” Yes, our Father wants us to ask but the Father is not impressed by our rhetoric or our repetition. So folks, keep it simple, direct, and sincere. “The Lord looks at the heart.”

When Jesus was sneered at by Pharisees who had heard about His warning to hypocrites, His emphasis on humility, He simply said to them, “God knows your hearts. What is highly valued among you people is detestable in God’s sight.”

Praying with humility sometimes requires us to deny ourselves. There are times when we feel the need for a “closer walk with the Lord” but there may be obstacles to overcome. So, we rely on disciplinary measures such as fasting in order to refocus, and thereby remove the obstacle. We do so without drawing attention to ourselves. We just do whatever needs to be done to get back into the groove.

We may have to give up something, forego a pleasure of some kind, stop catering to this or that, come apart into a quiet place and rest awhile, relearn the power of positive thinking . . . all for the purpose of refocusing and renewing our relationship with God and others.