He replied, “Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites; as it is written: “‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain; their teachings are merely human rules.’
— Mark 7:6–7 (NIV)
It is very possible for a person to engage in futile devotions, thinking they are worshiping God, when in fact they are only wasting their time. If you don’t want to find yourself in this state, you must watch out for hypocrisy.
Never engage in spiritual devotion for men to see or to gain bragging rights among people. If you have ever prayed for several hours just to prove to others that you can pray long, you simply wasted your time. God sees our innermost motives, and He weighs all our actions.
In today’s anchor text, Jesus spoke about the Pharisees, saying that they honored God with their lips while their hearts were far from Him. He called them hypocrites and declared their worship vain.
Often, when we read about the Pharisees, we quickly think we are better than they were. But is that so? Many of us give for men to see. Others pray for men to see. Some even fast for men to see. These are the very attitudes the Pharisees exhibited.
“Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven. “So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. “And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.”
— Matthew 6:1–6 (NIV)
We must ensure that all our acts of devotion—giving, praying, fasting—are done to honor God alone, not to impress people. Genuine worship flows from the heart and seeks only God’s approval.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, I ask that You purify my motives so I can genuinely worship You from my heart. Deliver me from hypocrisy, and help me seek only Your approval in all I do. Amen.
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