Hey, church family. It is time for Devo. If you got your Bible, we're going to be in Matthew

chapter 6. If you tune in this last weekend, you know, well, you know that we've been in this

teaching series called Best Sermon Ever. We're just going verse by verse through the sermon on the Mount taught by Jesus, the greatest

preacher ever.

This last weekend, we were going to be in Matthew 6, verses 16 through 18.

And, you know, we chased some things up.

I invited my friend Pastor Cam Triggs from Grace Alib,

to come in, and he did an incredible job of opening God's word, looking at what Nehemiah's response

was to his city that was on fire, and what our response as Jesus followers should be to the cities

that are on fire in our nation. So if you didn't get an opportunity to

see that sermon, please, you can just go back on our website and you can watch that. And if you

did see it already, you know that we called our church to fast. So if you're watching this Monday night, the fast is over or almost over.

And if you're watching this Tuesday morning, then you fasted yesterday. And so I said that I would

unpack a little bit about why, as people of God, why do we fast, what are we to learn from fasting? What does fasting do? And so,

Matthew chapter 6 beginning in verse 16. Now you'll remember if you've been paying attention,

and I know that you have, that all of Jesus's teaching on prayer and giving and fasting, we're all under the banner of

chapter 6, verse 1, beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order that you may

be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your father who is in

heaven. In other words, there is a way of practicing spiritual discipline, like the three

that he picks are giving, praying, and fasting. There are a way in doing these things that are hypocritical and showy, and the only reward you get

is that people see you and they think you're awesome. Then there's another way of doing it that

is deep down in the heart and you are doing this as to be viewed by God who sees what you do in secret

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