God beholds him with pleasure
and delight. By Charles Simeon. Be careful
not to do your acts of righteousness before men, to be seen by them. Matthew chapter 6 verse 1. And when you pray, do not be
like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the
synagogues and on the street corners, to be seen by men. Matthew 6 verse 5. When you fast,
do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their
faces to show men they are fasting. Matthew 6 verse 16. Everything
they do is done for men to see. Matthew 23 verse 5. There is
a wide difference between ostentatious sanctity and true devotion to
God. Hypocrites always endeavor to
attract the attention of others. The truly holy man, on the contrary,
desires privacy and retirement. Though he is cheerful before
men, his sorrows are deep before God. Were his groanings overheard
by the world, he would probably be made an object of pity or
derision, but God beholds him with pleasure and delight. This
is the one I esteem, he who is humble and contrite in spirit
and trembles at my word. Isaiah 66 verse two. The Lord delights in those who
fear him, who put their hope in his unfailing love. Psalm 147 verse 11. The Lord takes delight in his
people. He crowns the humble with salvation. Psalm 149 verse
four. What inexpressible comfort should
this administer to humble penitents? The humbler the thoughts that
we have of ourselves, the greater does God esteem and delight in
us. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and
contrite heart. O God, you will not despise. Psalm 51 verse 17.