Mat.6:4: That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly.
Mat 6:6 But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.
Mat_6:18 That thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret: and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly.
God
sees in secret but rewards in the open.
The above statement though seemingly simplistic carries a lot of instruction for anyone who truly wants to make an impact that will register in eternity.Please note that I do not speak of an impact that will affect men, only in the time that we have to spend upon the face of this earth, but beyond that. To leave a legacy in time could be achieved once we impress men but to even leave an imprint on eternity, we must be aided to do so. In essence, that which we can do without the help of God, which never originated from God will never make any eternal impact.
You may not agree but God in scriptures reveals to us that He examines what SORT our works are of, not just the amount of labor. It is not only the quantity of what has been done but the quality of what has been done, that God checks.(1 Cor. 3:13)
The labor that carries very
little human recognition or away from the eyes of men is reserved for
the eyes of God alone. Many Church members are quick to seek
recognition for the very visible works they carry out in Church. They
would join only the teams or units that will give visibility to their
talents or gifting. Few join the cleaning crew that cleans the church
before service and even fewer still will join the prayer group that will
weep at night.Pastors, as humans, easily recognize the works that are evident as men but God sees in secret.
In fact, a lot of the important things that God does with a man, he does it in secret.Intimacy with God is not achieve in the 'open'. God brings men to His secret place. He seeks to have a secret life
going with you. Don't seek the recognition of men but seek the approval
of this God that sees in SECRET.
Men will often see the open reward but
not know the Secret labors!
Friends, God calls us to join him in the secret place where He can work on the privacy of our hearts. Do you pray in Secret? Is the audience that you focus your prayer on God? or do you pray eloquently to impress those that listen? Do you pray long so men can acknowledge your prayer prowess? if you are doing any of these, then you already have your reward.
Where are the men who engage in secret labors?
I use to think that the only way to serve God was in some form of visible act that men can see and acknowledge, until I read of Prophetess Ann, who the bible recorded as SERVING God through prayer and fasting.
Service is in secret.
