“Be careful that you don’t do your charitable giving before men, to be seen by them, or else you have no reward from your Father who is in heaven.“When you pray, you shall not be as the hypocrites, for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Most certainly, I tell you, they have received their reward.
“Moreover when you fast, don’t be like the hypocrites, with sad faces. For they disfigure their faces, that they may be seen by men to be fasting. Most certainly I tell you, they have received their reward.
Matthew 6:1, 5, 16
When we have people around us who think highly of spiritual disciplines, there is a big danger that performing our spiritual disciplines become a source of pride, which then pushes us away from God, instead of what God intends -- for the spiritual discipline to draw us closer to Him.
I like it when people think highly of me. That has its own place, but when I start doing stuff to show off, rather than for their original intention, the good becomes twisted to bad.
Therefore I must be careful, or my efforts will be wasted in the eternal sense, and even have a negative spiritual impact.
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