Keeping It To Yourself
In a culture where people clamor for attention and recognition, those secure in Christ have no need of the spotlight. One discipline in particular helps us give both the credit and glory to God. Even when we do good things, we can escape a look-at-me mindset by trading instant gratification for a future reward from God. Grow closer to God through the spiritual practice of secrecy.
Discussion Questions
How would you define the word, “secret?” Are you good at keeping secrets? Why do some people have a hard time keeping a secret?
Seems like more than at any other time, people are clamoring for attention and recognition. How does social media fuel a look-at-me mindset? What is often behind a craving for affirmation and notoriety?
Jesus singled out the Pharisees as bad examples. Read Matthew 23:5-7. What did the Pharisees do to get noticed by others? What do you typically do to get noticed or praised by others?
Read Matthew 6:1-6, 16-18. What instructions does Jesus give about good deeds, praying and fasting? How do we have a reward when we do things to be seen by others? What reward are we forfeiting from God if we are doing things only to be seen by others?
Can you think of ways you have benefited from the secret acts of another? What are ways you have secretly served others? (Don’t tell anyone or it’s no longer a secret!)
How does the spiritual practice of secrecy become a way to trust God more fully?
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