The Hidden Righteousness
The better righteousness of the disciples must have a motive which lies beyond itself. Of course it has to be visible, but they must take care that it does not become visible simply for the sake of becoming visible. There are of course proper grounds for insisting on the visible nature of Christian discipleship, but the visibility is never an end in itself, and if it becomes so we have lost sight of our primary aim, which is to follow Jesus.
The genuine work of love is always a hidden work. Take heed therefore that you know it not, for only so is it the goodness of God. If we want to know our own goodness or even of our love for our enemies. This voluntary blindness in the Christian (which is really sight illuminated by Christ) is his certainty, and the fact that his life is hidden from his sight is the ground of assurance.
How difficult is it for us to do some sort of good deed and to purposefully go unnoticed for it?It's as if the fact that the good deed was done is attention enough. I find this aspect of Christ's teaching truly fascinating. The concept of "it's not about me" is a hard one for me to swallow, however shifting my focus to "it's all about you" is something that seems illogical, yet awesome in the same breath.
This book is seriously amazing, I am learning something new everyday. You should probably buy it, read it and love it!
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