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A Matter of the Heart
Matthew 6:6, 17-18 |
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God cares deeply about the motivations of our hearts. Yesterday, we saw that the heart is what matters most in giving. In Matthew 6:6, 17-18, we are shown just how important the heart is to God.
First Jesus deals with our heart when we pray in Matthew 6:6, "But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly."
Next He deals with our heart when fasting in Matthew 6:17-18, "But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, so that you do not appear to men to be fasting, but to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly."
Jesus wants you and me to pray with the right heart, not seeking the praise of others. And the same is true with fasting. When you fast, you are not supposed to let everybody know.
When you fast, if somebody says, "Hey, would you like to go to lunch today?" and you reply, "I can't. I'm fasting," they may think, "Wow, he's spiritual!" but that is all the reward you get, right there, so you better enjoy it.
What is Jesus' point? When we give to the poor, when we pray, when we fast, we do not do it to get the applause or recognition of men. We do it out of obedience to God, out of love for our fellow men, and just wanting to help somebody else who is trying to make it through the day on this planet.
That is why we should do it. That is the right motivation of the heart.
By Bayless Conley |
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LAST SUNDAY
We finished our series Red Letter Days celebrating Easter, or how we like to call it, Resurrection Sunday. We concluded that when Jesus said, You Will Be With Me In Paradise to the criminal on the cross, it shows us that it is not Good People who are going to heaven, but Forgiven People. None of us are good, the Bible tells us so. Only God is good, and He can bestow that goodness or righteousness on us when we come to Him in faith for salvation. This message will be on our home page, just below the calendar, soon. We are also on iTunes. Next week we will be starting a new series entitled Parenthood. If you have kids or are even thinking about having them, you won't want to miss this four-week series that explores what God's Word has to say about all things parental. Whether they're bawling, crawling, walking, talking, driving you crazy or asking to drive your car, kids are a gift from God, and He provides some very clear guidance and insight on how to raise them to be full of faith and focused on Him, rather than leaving you frustrated, frazzled and fatigued.
MIDWAY COMMUNITY EASTER EGG HUNT
First Baptist Church hosted the Midway Community Easter Egg Hunt at the Midway Community Park on April 23, 2011. It was a great day. The rain held off and the sun actually came up. There were over 300 people there from Midway, McDonald, Hickory, and even as far away as Pittsburgh. Thanks to all who donated food, Easter Eggs, Candy, and their time to make this day such a success. We held a drawing for one of five $25 gift cards to Giant Eagle. The winners are: Ava Tounay, Nathaniel Gasior, Riley Long, Abbie Miller, and Briana McGinnis. Congratulations to all who won. We had over 125 different people enter the drawing. God is Good!
UP COMING EVENTS
May 1 - Carry-in Dinner & No PM Service
May 8 - Mother's Day Celebration - All mothers receive a special gift.
Visit us at www.fbcmidway.com for more information about our church. Our website has much to offer.
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