“Let your light shine before men in such a way that they glorify your Father who is in heaven.” Matthew 5:16
I am to do works that are seen by men. There are a host of dangers in obeying this command, not the least of which is doing anything for praise from men rather than praise from God. The solution to this problem is here in the verse, do these good works “in such a way” that they bring glory and praise to God. How do I do this? If I consider doing a good work, for instance giving food to the poor, I can potentially have any number of motivations for this work that do not have anything to do with God. I can be trying to salve my conscience. I might want to be seen as a good person. If I were politically motivated, it could be a means of building my community service resume. I could also be truly concerned for the condition of poverty and desire to relieve it, without any view to God’s glory in it. With so many possible motivations in my heart behind a particular good work, how are others who might see this good work to see God’s glory in it, and give praise to the Father? There needs to be a way (in such a way) that can distinguish every good work I may do from the many good works done every day by people who care nothing about God. My works need to be different. They need to be done in such a way that God’s glorious nature is manifest, seen, and praised.
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