Who Are You Trying to Impress? | Matthew 6:1
Devotional
“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 begins with Jesus warning His followers against performing acts of righteousness just to be seen by others. The motive behind actions matters much more than the action itself.
Jesus calls those who perform acts of righteousness for praise hypocrites and notes that the only reward they will receive is the praise they have already received. We know that we must live authentically and God will reward genuine acts of righteousness.
You see all the time influencers that record their charity for views, but Jesus said that this giving should be done in secret. More specifically, He said in verse 3, “But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing”.
The goal is not only to avoid recognition from others, but to avoid seeking recognition altogether. We are not looking for acknowledgment from anyone but the Lord, not even from ourselves.
As we live authentically and do good for the good of those around us, we should not expect praise. Similarly, when we do our workouts, they are not intended to impress anyone. We do them because they are good for us.
If we push ourselves simply to impress others, we are doing it for the wrong reason. It would be hypocritical of me to say I haven’t skipped a workout to hit a max lift because I was feeling good before. And when I performed my max, I was hoping those at the gym watched!
It’s easy to get lost in recognition, but that should never be something we get lost in. We must do good simply because it is good, all for the glory of God.
The true test of our motives is whether we would still do it if nobody ever knew.
Workout
Just because we’re not working out to seek attention doesn’t mean we can’t do impressive things. In fact, on your squats today, you can and should go as heavy as you can while maintaining good form. If it’s in the strength section, train it for strength.
The goal isn’t to avoid achievement. The goal is to remember why we’re pursuing it.
Leg Day
Strength
Barbell Back Squats: 3x12
Nordic Curl: 3x8
Do seated leg curls if you do not have a Nordic bench
Conditioning - 3 round circuit
Dumbbell RDL’s: 12 reps
Side Bends: 10 reps
Kettlebell Goblet Squats: 12 reps