Stop Aiming for “Picture Perfect”

“Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 6:1)

Can I put a Southern paraphrase on this passage? “Beware of posting your righteousness on FaceBook for likes, for then you will have no reward from your Father in Heaven.” If you day say, “That doesn’t happen, Pastor,” then I will gently remind you of the poor soul who spent more time taking the “perfect” photo of his morning Bible reading than he did of actually reading the Bible. This is not a new phenomenon, but the invention of the “selfie” exacerbated the problem significantly. We show a great concern for our self-image because we fear man more than God. Many deeds have been done to make “Momma proud” with little or no concern for God. Last time I checked, Momma isn’t on the Judgment Seat, neither is our admittance in to heaven predicated on “likes.”

To quote Jesus, “How can you believe, when you receive glory from one another and do not seek the glory that comes from the only God?” (John 5:44) Jesus made Himself of no account, coming not to be served nor applauded but to serve and to give His life as a ransom for many. When the world’s approval came, He withdrew. On the one occasion when He drew the most fanfare, His triumphant entry was not an effort to be approved. No, He came to die a most unapproving death. Why? Why bypass the glory that comes from men? As Paul says, “For the joy set before Him.” (Heb. 12:2) His humiliation became our hope, His resurrection our righteousness, His joy our joy! To have His joyous reward, to follow His pattern, we must have His righteousness. Do you? We must pause and probe our motivations. Do we fear God, or do we fear man? From whom do we desire approval? Is our life one giant “selfie,” or do we live as those righteous in God’s eyes, eagerly expecting the appearing o God and the crown of righteousness He gives?