--- title: "The Lord Sees What is Done in Secret" description: "We break down a transformative set of principles focused on secret giving, honest prayer, and letting go of the constant cycle of worry to find real peace." image: "" book: "Matthew" bookId: "MAT" testament: "new" startChapter: 6 startVerse: 1 endChapter: 6 endVerse: 34 coversChapters: [6] aiTitle: "The Simple Life: A Practical Guide to Finding True Contentment" aiDescription: "We break down a transformative set of principles focused on secret giving, honest prayer, and letting go of the constant cycle of worry to find real peace." hasAiStory: true location: "" persons: ["God","Solomon"] hashtags: ["faith","forgiveness","righteousness","humility","temptation"] genre: "gospel" readingTime: 4 type: "adaptive" slug: "MAT/the-lord-sees-what-is-done-in-secret" canonicalId: "MAT.6.1-6.34" chronologicalOrder: 1333 relatedSlugs: ["LUK/do-not-worry","MAT/the-kingdom-of-heaven-and-its-king","PSA/psalm-37-delight-yourself-in-the-lord","JHN/jesus-the-bread-of-life","PSA/psalm-34-taste-and-see-that-the-lord-is-good","PSA/psalm-84-better-is-one-day-in-your-courts","MRK/the-rich-young-man","ROM/grace-in-jew-and-gentile-relationship","ROM/walking-by-the-spirit","PRO/trust-in-the-lord-with-all-your-heart","PRO/the-benefits-of-wisdom","MAT/the-rich-young-man","1JN/the-first-test-of-fellowship","LUK/the-lords-prayer-ask-seek-knock","PHP/challenge-to-live-the-example","1TI/instructions-concerning-the-church-2","COL/rules-for-holy-living","HEB/christs-unchanging-nature","2CH/the-people-return-to-the-lord","COL/introduction","LUK/the-rich-young-ruler-the-third-prediction-of-the-passion","EPH/righteous-living","MAT/on-the-mount-of-olives","MRK/jesus-arrives-at-jerusalem","1TI/instructions-concerning-false-teaching","1PE/cast-your-cares-on-him","JAS/warnings-against-worldliness","2PE/peters-final-challenge","2CO/ambassadors-for-christ","ROM/unashamed-of-the-gospel"] prevSlug: "MAT/you-have-heard-it-said" nextSlug: "MAT/jesus-announces-the-kingdom-of-heaven" --- Most of us spend our lives performing for an audience, whether it is showing off our good deeds or stressing over our bank accounts. But there is a fresh perspective catching fire that suggests the secret to a meaningful life is actually found in the shadows, away from the public gaze. First, consider how you handle your generosity. We are told to keep our charitable acts strictly off the grid. When you help someone, don't look for a pat on the back or a social media shout-out. If you are doing it just to be seen, you have already received your payment in temporary applause. Real integrity happens when your left hand doesn't even know what your right hand is doing. This same principle applies to how we communicate with the Divine. Stop treating prayer like a performance art. You don't need fancy words or a public stage to be heard. Instead, find a quiet room, close the door, and speak honestly from the heart. There is no need for 'babbling'—the Creator already knows exactly what you need before you even open your mouth. Central to this lifestyle is the idea of forgiveness. It is a two-way street: if you want to be free from your own mistakes, you have to be willing to let go of the debts others owe you. It is a radical kind of grace that cleans the slate for everyone involved. When it comes to personal health and lifestyle, the advice is simple: don't let your 'eye'—your focus—be clouded by greed or obsession. You cannot serve both your bank account and your purpose. It is physically and mentally impossible to serve two masters at once. Finally, the guide addresses the universal struggle of anxiety. Looking at the birds and the wildflowers, it is clear that they don't stress over their wardrobe or their next meal, yet they are perfectly cared for. You are worth more than a flower, so why do you lose sleep over tomorrow? The goal is to stop worrying about the 'what-ifs' of the future and start focusing on the present moment, prioritizing your core purpose over your material fears. ### Giving to the Needy “Be careful not to perform your righteous acts before men 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 sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by men. Truly I tell you, they already have their full reward. 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. And your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. ### The [Lord](/persons/god)’s Prayer 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 men. Truly I tell you, they already have their full reward. But when you pray, go into your inner room, shut your door, and pray to your Father, who is unseen. And your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. And when you pray, do not babble on like pagans, for they think that by their many words they will be heard. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him. So then, this is how you should pray:‘Our Father in heaven,hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come,Your will be done,on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts,as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation,but deliver us from the evil one. ’ For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive yours. ### Proper Fasting When you fast, do not be somber like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces to show men they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they already have their full reward. But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, so that your fasting will not be obvious to men, but only to your Father, who is unseen. And your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. ### Treasures in Heaven Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. ### The Lamp of the Body The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness! No one can serve two masters: Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money. ### Do Not Worry Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air: They do not sow or reap or gather into barns—and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? And why do you worry about clothes? Consider how the lilies of the field grow: They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even [Solomon](/persons/solomon) in all his glory was adorned like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles strive after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Today has enough trouble of its own.

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