Heart Motives: Giving, Prayer, Fasting, and Treasure

Aug 09, 2026

Devotional

Day 1: When Your Right Hand Forgets What Your Left Hand Gives

Jesus calls us to give with such quiet intentionality that even our own hands lose track. True generosity isn’t measured by receipts or recognition but by hearts aligned with God’s quiet work. When we give to impress others, we trade eternal impact for temporary applause. But hidden acts of kindness become sacred exchanges between us and the Father. God sees every secret sacrifice, every unspoken “yes” to compassion. Let your giving be a love letter to Him alone. [33:45]

“Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. Otherwise, you have no reward with your Father in heaven. So whenever you give to the poor, don’t sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be applauded by people. Truly I tell you, they have their reward. But when you give to the poor, don’t let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.” (Matthew 6:1-4, CSB)

Reflection: What recent act of generosity have you been tempted to mention casually? How might hiding it deepen your trust in God’s approval over human praise?

Day 2: Praying Behind Closed Doors With the Door Shut

Prayer loses its power when performed for an audience. Jesus invites us into closets of intimacy – literal or metaphorical spaces where pretense falls away. These shut doors create room for raw honesty, not religious performance. In the quiet, we stop convincing God (or others) and start connecting. The Father already knows our needs but craves our presence. True prayer isn’t about eloquence but about showing up as we are. [38:02]

“When you pray, go into your private room, shut your door, and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. When you pray, don’t babble like the Gentiles, since they imagine they’ll be heard for their many words. Don’t be like them, because your Father knows the things you need before you ask him.” (Matthew 6:6-8, CSB)

Reflection: Where do you most often pray? How might physically closing a door (or creating symbolic boundaries) help you focus less on performance and more on God’s presence?

Day 3: Fasting With Washed Faces and Anointed Heads

Grumble-free fasting turns hunger pangs into holy reminders. Jesus isn’t against discomfort but against using it as a spiritual billboard. When we fast without the drama, we reclaim it as a love language rather than a merit badge. Each stomach growl becomes a prompt to pray, each meal skipped a space to feast on God’s presence. Our clean faces testify: this isn’t about our sacrifice, but His sufficiency. [54:01]

“When you fast, don’t look gloomy like the hypocrites. For they disfigure their faces so that their fasting is obvious to people. Truly I tell you, they have their reward. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that your fasting isn’t obvious to others but to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.” (Matthew 6:16-18, CSB)

Reflection: What everyday discomfort (hunger, tiredness, frustration) could you reinterpret as a prompt to connect with God rather than complain?

Day 4: Moths, Rust, and the Treasures That Stay

Earthly treasures crumble under time’s weight, but heaven’s investments compound eternally. Jesus uses moth-eaten fabric and corroded metal as object lessons for misplaced priorities. Every dollar given in secret, every unnoticed kindness, every silent prayer becomes eternal currency. Our bank statements and social media feeds reveal what we truly value. True wealth isn’t stored – it’s sown. [59:01]

“Don’t store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves don’t break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Matthew 6:19-21, CSB)

Reflection: What “treasure” have you recently protected or pursued? How might reallocating that energy to eternal things shift your daily choices?

Day 5: The Eye That Lights Up Your Whole Body

Our spiritual vision determines everything. Jesus compares the eye to a lamp – either flooding our lives with light or plunging us into darkness. What we fix our gaze on (approval, security, control) shapes our entire existence. A healthy eye stays locked on the Father’s approval alone. Divided focus creates dim living, but singular devotion illuminates every corner of our lives. [01:02:08]

“The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. So if the light within you is darkness, how deep is that darkness! No one can serve two masters, since either he will hate one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.” (Matthew 6:22-24, CSB)

Reflection: Where have you been trying to look in two directions at once? What practical step could help you fix your gaze more fully on Christ this week?

Sermon Summary

Matthew 6 keeps pressing the same heart issue Jesus had already opened up in chapter 5: sin is not just what shows on the outside, it starts in thoughts, motives, and the hidden places. Jesus takes good religious things like giving, prayer, and fasting, and he shows how those things can get twisted when they become about being seen. Righteousness done for applause gets its reward right there, and that is all it gets.

Jesus calls his people to live for an audience of one, and that audience is God. Giving to the needy is good, and God wants generosity, but giving turns sideways when it becomes a way to get a pat on the back or feel impressive. Giving should bless others and bring God glory, not become another way for a person to serve himself.

Jesus also brings prayer into that same heart check. Prayer is not meant to make somebody look spiritually mature, and it is not meant to stack up a bunch of words to get God’s attention. Prayer is simply talking to God, sharing life with him, depending on him, trusting him, and surrendering the outcome to him. God already knows what is needed, but prayer still matters because it is relational, humbling, and often the place where God ministers to the heart.

Jesus does not ban public prayer, but he does expose prayer that performs. Public prayer can be a testimony, a way to serve someone, and a way to show that believers are not alone. But prayer that uses God to impress people is not honoring to God.

Jesus then speaks about fasting, and fasting is not treated like a fun activity or a way to look extra holy. Fasting puts aside a real human need so the heart can focus on the Lord. Hunger pains, stomach rumbles, and weakness can become reminders to read God’s Word, pray, and trust God for strength.

Jesus keeps going with treasures, the eye, and the two masters because the same issue is still on the table: who or what is a person living for? Earthly treasure can be money, status, reputation, importance, or power. The healthy eye brings in light, but bad motives radiate darkness. No one can serve two masters, so life either belongs to God or bends back inward toward self.

The gospel answers that brokenness. God created people for relationship with him, sin dragged humanity into a broken world, and Jesus came down, died, and rose again to restore sinners to God. Living for the Lord starts with trusting the Lord for salvation, then letting him remodel the heart from the inside out.

Key Takeaways

1. Live for an audience of one [34:48] Jesus does not condemn righteous actions, but he does expose the hunger to be noticed. A person can do the right thing with the wrong heart and end up serving self while using God’s name. Hidden obedience trains the soul to care more about God’s pleasure than human applause. [34:48]
2. Prayer is connection, not performance [40:39] Prayer becomes distorted when it is used to look put together, mature, or impressive. God is not honored when conversation with him becomes a stage for other people. Real prayer opens the heart before the Father, trusts him with the outcome, and lets dependence replace control. [40:39]
3. Fasting turns hunger toward God [55:18] Fasting is not about looking miserable enough for people to ask questions. Hunger can become a holy interruption, a physical reminder that the body is needy and the soul needs God even more. The point is not suffering for attention, but learning to lean on every word that comes from God. [55:18]
4. Treasure reveals the heart’s master [01:01:19] Jesus ties treasure to the heart because desire always points somewhere. Money, status, reputation, and power may look different on the surface, but selfish motives put self on the throne. A life aimed at God’s kingdom starts asking not just what is being done, but who is being served through it. [61:19]
5. Trust starts the whole life [01:15:07] Living for the Lord begins with trusting him for salvation, not trying harder to look religious. Repentance and faith bring a person back to God through Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection. After that, daily obedience becomes the ongoing work of surrendering motives, decisions, and desires to Christ.

## [75:07]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[29:42] - Catching Up on Matthew 5
[33:12] - Practicing Righteousness Before God
[35:20] - Giving Without Self Glory
[37:42] - Prayer That Connects With God
[44:18] - Two Ways Prayer Gets Twisted
[49:02] - David’s Honest Prayer in Psalm 6
[52:38] - Fasting Without Putting On A Show
[58:31] - Treasures, Motives, and Masters
[65:19] - Working For God’s Approval
[69:39] - The Three Circle Gospel
[74:26] - Responding With Faith and Repentance

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

Matthew 6:1-4
“Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. Otherwise, you have no reward with your Father in heaven. So whenever you give to the poor, don’t sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be applauded by people. Truly I tell you, they have their reward. But when you give to the poor, don’t let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.” [33:12]

Matthew 6:5-15
“Whenever you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites, because they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by people. Truly I tell you, they have their reward. But when you pray, go into your private room, shut your door, and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. When you pray, don’t babble like the Gentiles, since they imagine they’ll be heard for their many words. Don’t be like them, because your Father knows the things you need before you ask him. Therefore, you should pray like this: Our Father in heaven, your name be honored as holy. Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And do not bring us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. For if you forgive others their offenses, your heavenly Father will forgive you as well. But if you don’t forgive others, your Father will not forgive your offenses.” [37:42]

Matthew 6:16-18
“Whenever you fast, don’t be gloomy like the hypocrites. For they disfigure their faces so that their fasting is obvious to people. Truly I tell you, they have their reward. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that your fasting isn’t obvious to others but to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.” [52:44]

Matthew 6:19-24
“Don’t store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves don’t break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. So if the light within you is darkness, how deep is that darkness! No one can serve two masters, since either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.” [58:31]

Observation questions

In Matthew 6, what three religious practices does Jesus talk about, and what repeated warning shows up in all three? [35:20]
In the section on prayer, what are the two unhealthy patterns Jesus points out?
What are some specific examples of “earthly treasure” that can take over a person’s heart besides money? [01:01:19]
In the part about fasting, what normal physical experiences were described that can become reminders to turn attention toward God? [55:18]

Interpretation questions

Jesus says people can receive their reward now by being seen by others. What does that reveal about the difference between human applause and the reward that comes from the Father? [34:48]
If God already knows what people need before they ask, why does prayer still matter so much? What does that show about what prayer is really for? [47:02]
Jesus connects treasure, the eye, and masters in one flow of thought. How do these pictures help show that the real issue is not just money, but the direction of the heart? [59:34]
Jesus does not forbid public prayer altogether. How can a group tell the difference between public prayer that serves others and public prayer that performs for others? [45:12]

Application questions

“Live for an audience of one” sounds simple, but it reaches into everyday life. Where is the pull for human approval strongest right now—work, church, family, social media, or somewhere else? What usually happens in the heart in those moments? [35:01]
Giving can look generous on the outside while still quietly feeding pride on the inside. When generosity is hardest, what tends to be underneath that—fear, control, wanting credit, resentment, or something else? [37:19]
Prayer is connection, not performance. What does prayer usually become when life gets pressured for you: honest conversation with God, quick duty, panic button, or polished words? What might it look like to become more honest with God this week? [41:04]
Fasting puts aside a real need so the heart can focus on the Lord. If fasting is part of someone’s next step, what would help make it about nearness to God rather than proving something? How could hunger become a reminder to pray or read Scripture instead of just being irritating? [57:47]
Earthly treasure can be money, status, reputation, importance, or power. Which of those feels most dangerous for your own heart right now, and how can you usually tell when it is starting to master you? [01:04:02]
“You cannot serve two masters” presses hard on daily choices. In the small decisions of an ordinary week, where does self usually try to stay on the throne? What is one area where surrender to Christ needs to become more concrete? [01:16:10]
Trust in Jesus is the beginning of the whole life with God. Has there been a clear point of repentance and faith, or has there mostly been trying to look religious and do better? If trust in Christ is real, what is one motive that still needs to be handed over to him? [01:15:21]

Sermon Clips

33s

#GodCenteredPrayer

“What I do want you to see in here in that in that simple prayer that Jesus shares with us and and gives us an example of is just how it's it's all focused on god. How we should acknowledge god, how we should yield to him, how we should surrender to him, and how we should trust in him. It's it's all about god, right? It's all about surrendering, yielding, acknowledging to him. God's the center of our prayers. It's not us.”

66s

#livingForGodNotTreasure

“Are we doing things to get some treasure or some reward here on earth? Again, that that treasure could be in terms of of money, status, wealth, reputation, importance, power. Again, there's there's many things that we can pursue but it becomes all about us and our pursuit of those things and and what we think of ourselves. In those three three examples that Jesus brought up, we are trying to store treasures up for us on Earth that can be easily ruined if if you're using those twisted motives. So you can look at this in terms of money, or you can look at it in a general statement and say, who or what are you living for? What is your motivation, and where is your heart at? Because my last point, it's not about us. It's about living for god and his kingdom.”

52s

#trustRepentSurrender

“living for the lord starts with trusting in the lord for your salvation. So, that's that's the first step you gotta do. So, if you've never done that, you really can't do the next ones and do that, do those very well. The second thing I would encourage you guys to do and take away from this is to to evaluate and to think, why do you do the things that you do? What is your motive? Is it a selfish motive? Are you doing a good activity for the wrong reasons? Again, are you praying? Are you fasting? Are you giving to other people for the wrong reasons? Again, we can we can repent of that. You can repent of that and ask god to help you with that and to surrender that over to him.”

40s

#HeartNotWealth

“So, you can look at this and you can say, John, this Jesus is talking about money and wealth and treasure. This doesn't fit in with that topic of the previous three sections. Jesus Jesus is starting to change the subject. He's pivoting here with that And I would say no. That Jesus is still talking about our heart and our devotion and our motives. Are we looking to advance ourselves whether it be our image or our status or maybe even our bank account through giving, through fasting, through praying, or what we pursue in life.”

49s

#PrayToRelateNotInform

“And then the second thing there that I that I talked about, the second danger, that god already knows what we need. So, why do I need to pray, right? Again, I already kinda talked about that a little bit but we should pray even though god knows everything. He's present everywhere, and and he's that big and that powerful and that that smart and intelligent and all that. He's he's got it all together. He's holding it all together. It's nothing for him, but we should still go to him and talk to him. Again, prayer is more just than asking what we need. It it's relational. It's it's building that relationship. It's it's it's again sharing life with god. It's inviting him in and and trusting him with those things.”

51s

#HonestPrayerLikeDavid

“So you you see that just that raw emotion that David has in there. How he's like, god, I'm I'm I'm crying every myself to sleep every night. I'm I'm just struggling, lord. But you see at the end, he's like, but god, I I I'm gonna trust in you. You've you've heard me. You've accepted my prayer. You're you're going to do what you're going to do. You're you're going to make me victorious in the end. God, you're going to win in the end and so that's that's what I love about the Psalms and and what David and and again, those were those were prayers that were put to Psalm. So, again, we we can pray like that. We can be honest and transparent and show everything to god because I'm really again, like it says, he already knows. But, again, in in in that act of prayer, god can do something in our hearts and in our lives.”

45s

#JesusPaidOurDebt

“He sent Jesus down. So that's that first arrow. Jesus came down. He lived a perfect life. He took the punishment that we deserved because we sinned against God, and and God just doesn't wink at sin and say, oh, well, yeah. It's okay. I'm just gonna forget about that. No. Somebody has to pay the punishment for it. There has to be justice for it. And so Jesus took the punishment that we deserved, died on the cross, paid the penalty for our sin, but then rose three days later, proving that he was God and proving that that he was that perfect sacrifice for us and that he can take all of our sins, all of humanity's sins, all of our individual sins, erase those”

37s

#SinIsHeartIssue

“And and in that section, Jesus challenged us not to to just think of of sin by our actions, but by our thoughts and our motives as well. And and as Jesus raises that standard, it it it forces us to reflect and say, man, I I really need a savior. I can't measure up to to that law. You know, may maybe I can clean up the outside a bit, and and I can I can look good on the outside, but if you looked inside my heart, if you looked inside my mind, some of the things I thought, whew, I'd be in trouble? Right? So”

Ask a question about this sermon

South Side Baptist Church This sermon · AI assistant

What motive should guide Christian giving and worship?

Why pray privately instead of for public praise?

How does fasting draw believers closer to God?