Having a Kingdom Attitude 15

As we journey with Jesus through the sermon on the Mt., we are reminded that walking in God's Word is a sure way of having a less-stressed life. I am not saying that our obedience to God's Word eliminates all our problems in this world, but rather it provides peace of mind. When your relationship with the Father, Son, and Spirit is right, then your life is in the best possible position. In Matthew 5:5-8;16-18, Jesus will teach his children how they are to pray and fast. Again, we are reminded that if these actions are done with the right motives, then the blessings received will be great. Jesus teaches us that we must pray and fast, but only if our motives and attitudes promote God's glory and not our own flesh. The example used by Jesus is the religious crowd themselves who did all these "spiritual acts" only to be seen and heard by men. We ought to learn that when we pray, it is not about "repetition" but rather about the condition of our hearts that matter to God. Christians are expected to give, pray, and fast; but the question we ought to ask ourselves is "Why are we doing what we are doing?"

Jesus goes on to instruct us that the proper way of praying and fasting is to first, do it in secret before praying in public. This means we have no right to pray out loud in public if we do not have a private, prayer-closet life. Second, we should pray with sincerity. It is not about the quantity of words we use, like the hypocrites, but rather the quality of those words. Third, when we fast, act normal. The religious crowd wanted the lights, camera, and news media nearby to watch their religious acts. Christ teaches us to fast for God's eyes only. It is His opinion of us that matters most. With these three fundamental acts of worship, we will be tempted to promote self over glorifying Christ. Let us all be on guard that the things we do to worship Christ are done in a matter that bring glory to Him alone. And if this is our motivation, then our life will be less stressful. Until next time, keep walking close with Christ.