Week 35 Matthew
Not all bible passages are equal for a bible reader.
For example 1 Chronicles 1-9 was a high-speed read for me. But when I get to Matthew 5-7 I pretty much have to gear-down.
So…mental conflict reading the gospels. How much do I plough through to save time; how much do I ease off to absorb content? The answer is probably: somewhere in the middle.
Anyway I had a case of slow-down-to-think in chapter six: Take care! Don’t do your good deeds publicly, to be admired, because then you will lose the reward from your Father in heaven.
I remembered back awhile, driving into a fast food restaurant. There was a woman coming through the front door – I knew her; she went to the church. She had a cardboard sandwich container in one hand and a tall coffee cup in the other and she walked over to a guy sitting in the sun on the concrete, handed them to him and turned and left. The guy was wearing a parka and he set the cup on the ground in front of him and started eating.
I can’t be absolutely sure but I think that action was a Matthew 6:1 example of someone not acting so she’d be admired in the moment (it was a very quick and discrete exchange).
I’m also not sure about this but I think that at a future reckoning this woman will be rewarded for her hidden action.
Note: quote from Matthew 6:1 (NLT)