S. O. A. P.

Here’s Your 90 second AM Devotional!

S-cripture:

Matthew 6:1a

Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them.

O-bservation:

In His timeless “Sermon on the Mount,” Jesus said to all those who were, and who would in time become, “Followers of Jesus,” watch out who you’re playing to! In other words, are you living for the adoration of man or God? If your motive is to impress man, Jesus said there won’t be any reward from The Almighty.

A-pplication:

This one verse is a huge challenge to our personal MOTIVES. An Old Testament Prophet tells us there is NONE RIGHTEOUS, not even ONE. If we’re not careful, we find ourselves promoting righteous acts to others in order to impress them concerning our spirituality. I believe it’s because there is a subtle temptation from the “Enemy of our Soul” to be praised. We are tempted in this fashion because it’s the Enemy’s greatest desire to receive praise for himself. The Enemy will always be standing nearby, to see if we take the bait. So DON’T! Don’t ACT righteous just to prove you should be praised for your dedication to Jesus, just BE Dedicated to Him. You and I know there is only ONE who is worthy of our Praise, and that ONE is Jesus. Whenever you’re in a meeting where the presenter’s biographical sketch reads longer than his or her allotted speaking time, you know … they took the bait. In everything we “Believers” do or say, we must remember to be doing it and saying it to the intended audience. Jesus gave us the instruction in this passage, so always remember … “Jesus Is My Audience!”

P-rayer:

Dear Jesus,

Help me this AM to do everything I do today for YOU! Amen