6"Be especially careful when you are trying to be good so that you don't make a performance out of it. It might be good theater, but the God who made you won't be applauding.G4337G4160G3361G5216G1654G1715G444G4314G2300G846G1490G2192G3756G3408G3844G5216G3962G3588G1722G3772 2"When you do something for someone else, don't call attention to yourself. You've seen them in action, I'm sure—'playactors' I call them—treating prayer meeting and street corner alike as a stage, acting compassionate as long as someone is watching, playing to the crowds. They get applause, true, but that's all they get.G3767G3752G4160G1654G4537G3361G4537G1715G4675G5618G5273G4160G1722G4864G2532G1722G4505G3704G1392G5259G444G281G3004G5213G568G846G3408 3When you help someone out, don't think about how it looks.G1161G4675G4160G1654G1097G3361G4675G710G1097G5101G4675G1188G4160 4Just do it—quietly and unobtrusively. That is the way your God, who conceived you in love, working behind the scenes, helps you out.G3704G4675G1654G5600G1722G2927G2532G4675G3962G3588G991G1722G2927G846G591G4671G1722G5318 5"And when you come before God, don't turn that into a theatrical production either. All these people making a regular show out of their prayers, hoping for stardom! Do you think God sits in a box seat?G2532G3752G4336G2071G3756G2071G5618G5273G3754G5368G4336G2476G1722G4864G2532G1722G1137G4113G3704G302G5316G444G281G3004G5213G3754G568G846G3408 6"Here's what I want you to do: Find a quiet, secluded place so you won't be tempted to role-play before God. Just be there as simply and honestly as you can manage. The focus will shift from you to God, and you will begin to sense his grace.G1161G4771G3752G4336G1525G1519G4675G5009G2532G2808G4675G2374G4336G4675G3962G3588G1722G2927G2532G4675G3962G3588G991G1722G2927G591G4671G1722G5318 7"The world is full of so-called prayer warriors who are prayer-ignorant. They're full of formulas and programs and advice, peddling techniques for getting what you want from God.G1161G4336G945G3361G945G5618G1482G1063G1380G3754G1522G1722G846G4180 8Don't fall for that nonsense. This is your Father you are dealing with, and he knows better than you what you need.G3666G3361G3666G3767G3666G846G1063G5216G3962G1492G3739G2192G5532G4253G5209G154G846 9With a God like this loving you, you can pray very simply. Like this: Our Father in heaven, Reveal who you are.G3779G3767G4336G5210G2257G3962G3588G1722G3772G37G4675G3686 10Set the world right; Do what's best— as above, so below.G4675G932G2064G4675G2307G1096G1909G1093G2532G5613G1722G3772 11Keep us alive with three square meals.G1325G2254G4594G2257G1967G740 12Keep us forgiven with you and forgiving others.G2532G863G2254G2257G3783G2532G5613G2249G863G2257G3781 13Keep us safe from ourselves and the Devil. You're in charge! You can do anything you want! You're ablaze in beauty! Yes. Yes. Yes.G2532G1533G2248G3361G1519G3986G235G4506G2248G575G4190G3754G4675G2076G932G2532G1411G2532G1391G1519G165G281 14"In prayer there is a connection between what God does and what you do. You can't get forgiveness from God, for instance, without also forgiving others.G1063G1437G863G444G846G3900G5216G3770G3962G2532G863G5213 15If you refuse to do your part, you cut yourself off from God's part.G1161G3362G863G3362G444G846G3900G3761G5216G3962G863G5216G3900 16"When you practice some appetite-denying discipline to better concentrate on God, don't make a production out of it. It might turn you into a small-time celebrity but it won't make you a saint.G1161G3752G3522G1096G3361G5618G5273G4659G1063G853G846G4383G3704G5316G444G3522G281G3004G5213G3754G568G846G3408 17If you 'go into training' inwardly, act normal outwardly. Shampoo and comb your hair, brush your teeth, wash your face.G1161G4771G3522G218G4675G2776G2532G3538G4675G4383 18God doesn't require attention-getting devices. He won't overlook what you are doing; he'll reward you well.G3704G5316G3361G444G3522G235G4675G3962G3588G1722G2927G2532G4675G3962G3588G991G1722G2927G591G4671G1722G5318 19"Don't hoard treasure down here where it gets eaten by moths and corroded by rust or—worse!—stolen by burglars.G2343G3361G2343G5213G2344G1909G1093G3699G4597G2532G1035G853G2532G3699G2812G1358G2532G2813 20Stockpile treasure in heaven, where it's safe from moth and rust and burglars.G1161G2343G5213G2344G1722G3772G3699G3777G4597G3777G1035G853G2532G3699G2812G1358G3756G1358G3761G2813 21It's obvious, isn't it? The place where your treasure is, is the place you will most want to be, and end up being.G1063G3699G5216G2344G2076G1563G2071G5216G2588G2071G2532 22"Your eyes are windows into your body. If you open your eyes wide in wonder and belief, your body fills up with light.G3088G4983G2076G3788G1437G3767G4675G3788G5600G573G4675G3650G4983G2071G5460 23If you live squinty-eyed in greed and distrust, your body is a dank cellar. If you pull the blinds on your windows, what a dark life you will have!G1161G1437G4675G3788G5600G4190G4675G3650G4983G2071G4652G1487G3767G5457G2076G1722G4671G4655G4214G4655 24"You can't worship two gods at once. Loving one god, you'll end up hating the other. Adoration of one feeds contempt for the other. You can't worship God and Money both.G3762G1410G1398G1417G2962G1063G2228G3404G1520G2532G25G2087G2228G472G1520G2532G2706G2087G3756G1410G1398G2316G2532G3126 25"If you decide for God, living a life of God-worship, it follows that you don't fuss about what's on the table at mealtimes or whether the clothes in your closet are in fashion. There is far more to your life than the food you put in your stomach, more to your outer appearance than the clothes you hang on your body.G1223G5124G3004G5213G3361G3309G5216G5590G5101G5315G2532G5101G4095G3366G5216G4983G5101G1746G2076G3780G5590G4119G5160G2532G4983G1742 26Look at the birds, free and unfettered, not tied down to a job description, careless in the care of God. And you count far more to him than birds.G1689G1519G4071G3772G3754G4687G3756G3761G2325G3761G4863G1519G596G2532G5216G3770G3962G5142G846G1308G5210G3756G3123G1308G846 27"Has anyone by fussing in front of the mirror ever gotten taller by so much as an inch?G1161G1537G5101G5216G3309G1410G4369G1520G4083G1909G846G2244 28All this time and money wasted on fashion—do you think it makes that much difference? Instead of looking at the fashions, walk out into the fields and look at the wildflowers. They never primp or shop,G2532G5101G3309G4012G1742G2648G2918G68G4459G837G2872G3756G3761G3514 29but have you ever seen color and design quite like it? The ten best-dressed men and women in the country look shabby alongside them.G1161G3004G5213G3754G3761G4672G1722G3956G846G1391G4016G3761G4016G5613G1520G5130 30"If God gives such attention to the appearance of wildflowers—most of which are never even seen—don't you think he'll attend to you, take pride in you, do his best for you?G1161G1487G2316G3779G294G5528G68G4594G5607G2532G839G906G1519G2823G3756G4183G3123G5209G3640 31What I'm trying to do here is to get you to relax, to not be so preoccupied with getting, so you can respond to God's giving.G3767G3361G3309G3004G5101G5315G2228G5101G4095G2228G5101G4016 32People who don't know God and the way he works fuss over these things, but you know both God and how he works.G1063G1934G3956G5023G1484G1934G1063G5216G3770G3962G1492G3754G5535G537G5130 33Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don't worry about missing out. You'll find all your everyday human concerns will be met.G1161G2212G4412G932G2316G2532G846G1343G2532G3956G5023G4369G5213 34"Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don't get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes.G3309G3767G3361G3309G1519G839G1063G839G3309G3588G1438G713G2250G2549G846
The Message (MSG). All Scripture quotations are taken from THE MESSAGE, copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress. All rights reserved. Represented by Tyndale House Publishers, a Division of Tyndale House Ministries.
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