Day 58: Spiritual Food in Quarantine

Beware of practicing your righteousness before men to be noticed by them.

God owns all things. He doesn't get anything from anyone in return for kindness. What He gets is what Jesus calls the joy of the Lord. That joy obviously comes from being good and doing good even to His own hurt. In demonstration of His Father's nature, Jesus gave us life. That meant leaving the bliss of heaven, being made human and freely accepting insults, torture and cruel death. For what reward? Absolutely nothing except the joy set before Him, the joy of seeing us delivered from death and offering us fullness of life. That joy made Him endure the suffering. The practice of righteousness, meeting the needs of the hungry, naked, sick, least, lost and lonely, IS ITSELF THE REWARD. It is the joy of the Lord that Jesus wants us to have. Man's praise can never equal that joy. We don't have to please men.