Christian Reflection and Prayer

Scripture:
Giving to the Needy
6 “Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.
2 “So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 3 But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. (NIV)
Prayer
5 “And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 6 But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. (NIV)

Reflection:

Today is Ash Wedesday, the beginning of Lent. This season of the church is meant to mirror Christ's forty days in the desert prior to the start of his public ministry, and traditionally it is a time of abstention when we ponder what it means to "die to self." How fitting that our reading strikes at the heart of one of the most ubiquitous forms of self preservation:  praise seeking.
The problem with seeking praise is that it keeps alive the lie that lasting validation and worth can be found in the good graces of other people.  In truth, real worth and genuine validation can only be found in the grace of God.  When we give to others and when we pray to God, we embody the reality that our God gave to us and that we need God to live.  It is not about a curtain call we can take for ourselves, but instead about how we can point to God, giving glory to the One who gives grace to us.

Prayer:

Jesus, walk with me into this Lenten season, carrying me from a death to self into a life for you.  Amen

(The Covenant Home Alter, Josh Danielson author)