A spiritually productive and fulfilling 2021 to you, dear child of God, is my prayer for you and all yours. As we close on the infallible laws, let’s take the last of the applications and let’s consider:

1. Alms giving; and
2. Fasting.

Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven. Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth: That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly. And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward…Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face; That thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret: and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly. Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal. Matthew 6:1-5, 16-19.

As with prayers, every sacrifice you offer to the Lord, either by way of giving or fasting let such be consecrated in the manner our God has commanded. Public shows of these acts are abominable to our God and will receive nothing but condemnation from Him as He declared in these texts. As for fasting we see clear instructions on acceptable fasting in Isaiah 58:3-7 (TLB/NLT) that all must endeavour to attain to. Can you see the similarity between this and what Paul wrote concerning the Macedonians churches to the Corinthians in 2 Corinthians 8:2-5 (TLB/NLT)?

For the discerning believer, no wonder the Lord capstoned these four spiritual exercises in Matthew 6:19-21 as culminating in treasures laid up in heaven. Make 2021 count, as you lay up treasures in heaven mitigating earthy pursuits that are temporal and will end up burnt. God bless you and have a spiritually fulfilling 2021. Selah.

Photo by Moritz Knöringer on Unsplash