The Secret Life Of A Christ-follower

Your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

The secret life of a Christ-follower is not one of duplicity; it is one of simplicity—serving, giving, praying, and fasting in secret to know God more.

Sandwiched in the Sermon on the Mount is Jesus’ warning to his followers: “Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 6:1). Every time I read this passage I cringe, because I know how tempting it is to do good for God with the hope that others will see what I’m doing and praise my righteousness.

This happens when we do things like this:

• Hold the offering plate in a way that lets other people see how much we are giving.
• Post about a mission project we participated in so we’ll be praised for our sacrifice.
• Raise our hands in worship, not out of reverence and love for God but to appear holy.
• Fast from food (or something else) and make sure everyone knows about it.
• Pray in a way that people will notice our flamboyant words while we neglect to pray in secret.

How many times have we received the fleeting reward of being praised by others and missed the joy of deep intimacy with God? Jesus makes it clear in his sermon that our Father sees what we do in secret and will reward us in eternity.

Who we are behind closed doors reveals what we really believe about God. Do we treasure an intimate walk with our Maker? Or do we value the praise of those around us? What’s done in secret never remains in secret; it forms who we are and impacts how we live.

The secret life of a Christ-follower is one of authentic faith and love for God. We give cheerfully to God, who has supplied us with grace upon grace (see 2 Corinthians 9:7). We pray without ceasing, giving thanks to God, submitting our requests to him, and acknowledging his lordship over our lives (see Matthew 6:8-14; 1 Thessalonians 5:17-18). We fast, laying aside food or pleasures we have become dependent on, in order to seek the fullness of God (see Matthew 6:16-17).

Do not underestimate time spent in secret with God, money given in secret in the name of Jesus, fasting done in secret to acknowledge our dependence on him, and prayers whispered in secret as we submit our will to his. The secret life of a Christ-follower is the springboard for joy and fullness on earth as we await the treasure of being with him in heaven.

Psalm 73:25 says, “Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you.” The greatest reward we could ever receive is not to be praised by the lips of others but to be near God and to praise his holy name.

Word before World God rewards a life of worship, sacrifice, and prayer done in secret for him.

Grow in Grace Spend time in secret with God today. If possible, remove all distractions and go to a place where you can pray, read the Word, and fellowship with your Maker.