[Originally posted on 1/8/2007]
Be careful not to do your 'acts of righteousness' before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.
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 men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
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 men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. 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. And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
This, then, is how you should pray:
'Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one.'
For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.
When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show men they are fasting. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that it will not be obvious to men that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
Matthew 6:1-8
Funny that a "pagan" has to remind you all of this.
[Originally commented by buzzchick on 1/8/2007]
ReplyDelete"So when you give to the needy...."
pffffft. joke's on you. these people don't give to the needy. ask joel hunter! LOL. (i realize that's from National Politburo Radio, sorry.)
and although this passage doesn't address weight lifting (see: robertson, pat) specifically, i think that should be done in secret, too. :)
[I commented on 1/8/2007]
ReplyDeleteWow...what a spectacular organizational bellyflop. I'm surprised they didn't see this coming from a guy who wrote a book called Right Wing, Wrong Bird: Why the Tactics of the Religious Right Won't Fly With Most Conservative Christians. This Rev. Hunter sounds like he has some decent sense. (And not just for turning them down.)
(It's okay, most of NPR is self-funding nowadays, so I don't begrudge them their bandwidth. Actually, I get most of my news these days from the Christian Science Monitor. :-)