Bad Religion · Week 2 · Day 3: When Nobody Notices

Bad Religion · Week 2 · Good Works Without Love
October 18, 2026 · Jonah Tolpezninkas

Read: Matthew 6:1–18

“Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them.” — Matthew 6:1

Reflection

In this part of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus speaks about three familiar practices of devotion: giving, prayer, and fasting. He assumes his disciples will practice them. The opening warning concerns their purpose: religious activity can become a way to gather an audience and secure its approval.

Verses 2–4 apply that warning to giving. When admiration becomes the goal, the applause is the reward we have chosen. Quiet generosity directs our attention toward the person in need and the Father who sees. We can help without turning someone else’s difficulty into a story about our goodness.

Verses 5–8 bring the same concern into prayer. Jesus invites us to speak privately with our Father and assures us that God already knows our needs. We do not have to impress him with an elaborate performance. Try carrying that assurance into your next quiet moment: God is attentive before you find the perfect words.

The prayer in verses 9–13 then reshapes what we desire. God’s name, kingdom, and will come first. We ask for daily provision, forgiveness, and protection. These requests teach dependence and make room for others through the repeated language of “our” and “us.” Verses 14–15 give a serious warning about refusing forgiveness. We cannot treat the mercy we seek from God as irrelevant to the mercy we extend.

Finally, verses 16–18 address fasting. Jesus tells his followers to avoid advertising their discomfort. Again, the Father sees the hidden life. Across all three practices, attention turns toward relationship with God.

Sunday’s message asked whether good works have become a way to earn love or manage our image. This passage gives us a practical place to begin changing. In Jesus, we can approach God as Father and entrust our need for recognition to him. Today, pray the Lord’s Prayer slowly, then offer one quiet act of care. Let the person’s need matter more than the response you receive.

Personal question

How would my giving, prayer, or service change if I trusted that my Father already sees me?

Practical response

Pray through verses 9–13 one line at a time. Name a need, a sin to confess, and a person you need help to forgive. Then do one helpful thing without announcing it.

Prayer

Our Father, teach me to seek your kingdom in the ordinary parts of today. Thank you for hearing me without a performance. Forgive my desire to make everything about me, and help me extend the mercy I receive from you. Amen.

This week’s sermon

Good Works Without Love · Bad Religion, Week 2
Watch the October 18 service https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9uS_IWUtxM4