Matthew 6:5 "And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward.”

Some people love to show off how “spiritual” they are. They teach Sunday School, they lead praise and worship, they volunteer for every mission trip, they pray long prayers, they even berate others for not following closely enough to the teachings of God. In short, they are legalistic attention-getters who use various church activities and events to remind everyone else about how “holy” they are. Often times a true believer will do the same things, but for different reasons. These believers will pray long prayers because once they start, they can't seem to find a way to stop – they just have to share everything with the Saviour! (Those who have experienced part of their life with a “significant other” will completely understand this.) God is not a trophy deity that one can show-off to make one's self look better to others. Proverbs 26:12 states “Do you see a man who is wise in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him.” People who show off their righteousness and uprightness have none."

The very first commandment out of the ten is “Do not have any other god's before me” (Exodus 20:3) and the person who parades their personal, legalistic “holiness” around to be admired as put themselves prostrate before the alter of public opinion. This is their primary deity and this is their reward, that others think them close to God. Do not, my friends, do not fall into this trap! It is so very easy to let the opinion of other people start to matter, especially when it comes to your relationship with Christ. Once you start to care about their opinions of you, you feel that you need to keep up the “act” so as not to disappoint them - and it really does become an act. People start expecting it from you and you start to give them the show; it started innocently enough but like all other sins or faults, it only ends disastrously.

This is one very important reason that you must pray for your pastors, your elders, your teachers, and your leaders. It is quite difficult for them to undergo this constant pressure, this constant scrutiny in their lives. I know that I too have felt it, even from this weekly devotional. I am no more and no less than all of you – a sinner graced by God and redeemed by Christ Jesus. I have my faults and failures like you. Do not put me on a pedestal please, but rather pray for me that I might be continuously pushed towards Christ and not allow anything to distract me from Him. People in spiritual leadership are always walking the line between truly leading and teaching and showing off. How much is too much, how little is enough? Yet do not let the fact that it primarily affects those in leadership positions lower your own guard against it! You are in just as much danger as pastors, just without the extra pressure.

We all need to beware of the pride in ourselves, the opinions of others, and the pressures that they may bring. Where are we in relation to the Lord. This is what we must ask ourselves constantly. What can we do to help get us off the streets, showing off our self righteousness? What can we do to avoid this trap to our pursuit of the Christ-centered life? Remember this: our foundation is Christ, naught but Jesus' blood and righteousness.

As Paul exhorts us in 2 Corinthians 13:5a, we must examine ourselves, to see whether we are in the faith. Test ourselves and see where we are lacking.