Performing For God Or For People?
BRD REFLECTION 2026
Matthew 6:1-15 and Psalm 39:7-13 (NIV)
(Daryl Tay, Pastoral Team)
READ:
Matthew 6:1-15 (NIV)
OBSERVE:
Matthew 6:1–15 forms part of the Sermon on the Mount, where Jesus addresses a diverse crowd—His disciples, curious onlookers, those seeking deeper understanding of His teachings, and religious leaders such as the Pharisees and Sadducees. The opening verse sets an overarching principle: “Do not practise your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them.” The warning that follows flows from this in a clear cause-and-effect relationship—if we do, “you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.”
Verses 2–4 apply this principle to “giving to the needy,” while verses 5–15 extend it to “prayer.” Viewed this way, the passage reveals that God’s saving work never stops at outward appearances of righteousness. The Holy Spirit aims to transform not just our behaviour but our hearts—the source of our motives and intentions. The phrase “to be seen by them” exposes the subtle temptation to perform goodness for human approval. True righteousness, then, must arise from inner transformation, affecting both how I give and how I pray.
APPLY:
I must ask myself honestly: do I practise righteousness to be seen by others? I may not publicise my prayers or charitable acts, yet I still sense within me a craving for human praise when I have “performed” well. This performative spirituality is precisely what Jesus warns against. Tim Keller once described it as the most deceptive form of godlessness—religious hypocrisy—where I use obedience itself as a way to live for myself rather than for God. As Keller writes, “Careful obedience to God’s law may serve as a strategy for rebelling against God.”
Here lies the crux: are my acts of devotion truly for God, or are they driven by hidden self-interest? The Sermon on the Mount both confronts and comforts me here. It calls for heart-deep obedience, yet it also proclaims the grace of Christ—grace that can transform both my internal self-centredness and my external moralism. Only the gospel can bring such holistic renewal.
DO:
So what remains for me to do? If God’s work truly compels transformation at the heart level, then it cannot be merely about my external deeds and appearance. Instead, I must learn to be more honest with both myself and God. This means inviting the Holy Spirit into the shadowed corners of my heart—grieving what is still self-absorbed, yet resisting the urge to fix myself through effort. Rather, I must lean wholly on the grace offered through the cross, the same grace that welcomes every lost son who returns home.
PRAY:
Lord Jesus, search my heart and strip away every desire to perform for the approval of others. Teach me what it means to walk in quiet, genuine righteousness that springs from love for You. Amen.
In Jesus’ name, I pray, Amen.
