Pillar 3 ~ Secrecy
Soul Snack 40/14 ... Posturing is the home of the proud.
Public display is the expression of pride, the visible witness to a heart deceived by one's false self-belief.
Acts of devotion conducted in the public arena are no more than evidence of your own devotion to you. It is the domain of the fool to place themselves in a position of exaltation. This is the province of those who love to be first.
It is not honorable to seek one's own honor. (Proverbs 25:27)
Giving, praying, fasting and the panorama of devotion are only devotion when exercised secretly.#
Devotion and public acclaim is no more miscible than oil is to water.
Devotion is an act of righteousness. It is unrighteous to turn it into an act of self-promotion.
Be careful not to practise your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven. (Matthew 6:1)
Choose to remain unknown, except to the Lord; for the honor of personal devotion is lost when it is discovered by another.
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 6:6)
"As wax melteth at the fire, so the virtue of the soul is thawed and runs away when it is praised." ~ anonymous
Seek the Lord in secret, for only then can your devotion be safe from you.
Today's Soul Snippet:
"Except a man say in his heart, 'I and God are alone in the world,' he will not find peace." ~ Abbot Allois
INTRODUCTION To the 5 Pillars of Devotion
Pillar 1 ~ Solitude Pillar 2 ~ Silence
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# I must add this one caveat though - parents please model devotion to your children. This is not self-display, but rather the training of children in righteousness, the ways that lead to life.