“We mar our work for God by noise and bustle;
Can we not do our part, and not be heard?
Why should we care that men should see us
With our tools, and praise the skill with which we use them?”
One of the most difficult lessons to learn is self effacement. Self always dies hard. It seems to us that we have a right to put our name on every piece of work we do, and to get full honour for it. We like people to know of the good and virtuous things we do, the kindnesses we show, of our benevolences, our self sacrifices, our heroism and services.
Yet we all know that this is not the attitude towards ourselves and our own work which our Lord approves. Jesus expressly bids His followers to take heed that they do not their righteousness before men to be seen of them. The last phrase is the emphatic one – “to be seen of men.” We must often do our righteousness before men; indeed we are commanded to let our light shine before men that they may see our good works and glorify our Father. It is not doing worthy things before men that is condemned, but doing them in order to be seen of men. We are not to live for the eye of men and for human praise, but for the eye of God and for His approval.
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