The Secret Life – Doing Good

The Secret Life – Doing Good

“But you doing merciful deeds, do not let your left know what your right hand does, so that your merciful deeds may be in secret. And your Father seeing in secret Himself will repay you in the open.”
Matthew 6:3-4 (LITV)

Those who know God in the secret places of their hearts do the works of Him in secret. His approval is felt within. It is in these secret places that we serve Him, worship Him and commune with Him. In those who are being sanctified there is a holy place, hidden from the sight of men, wherein deep and intimate transactions are made with their God.

“The secret of the Lord is with them that fear Him;
and He will shew* them His covenant”
Psalm 25:14 (*see note below)

His secrets are uncovered to those who have discovered through the bonds of relationship the inner movings of His Spirit. Those who draw near to Him know the wonder of the fear of the Lord. In those moments of touching Him we are made aware of our own vanity and selfishness. There is a weaning of our reliance on self, an absolute necessity to flee to Him, to seek His mercy, and a desire for His approval in all things. When we nurture this inner sanctuary, we are freed from seeking the approval of others. The fire of God burns away the need for anything other than His approval.

The unfolding of the nature and truth of His Covenant (singular) has been made clear to all who fear and love Him. David declared:

“For thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it:
thou delightest not in burnt offering”
Psalm 51:16

David understood that sacrifices and burnt offerings were of little value. He had seen the truth of God concerning the true covenant that was yet to come.

Jesus declared “Abraham saw my Day and was glad”. Those who draw near to Him begin to understand the Eternal Covenant. There is a seeing beyond the words, a communion with God whereby they know their own state but find refuge in the fear and holy reverence due Him alone. Even at his lowest point of sorrow David found repentance and restoration for he knew the substance of the One who was beyond the offering of bulls and goats.

David’s testimony concerning the sacrifices of the day revealed the true worship that God desired:

“The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart,
O God, thou wilt not despise”
Psalm 51:17

The truth of God is made known in His presence, in the secret place where we are broken by His magnificence. No one can touch Him and remain unbroken and unchanged. The secret works of God are the result of this hidden life. There is a joy found in our cooperation with Him. These are not works FOR Him; they are the works that come as we walk WITH Him. We are moved by love.

Relationship with Him determines our seeing of Him. In the Book of the Revelation John testified:

“I was in the Spirit on the LORD’s Day…”
Revelation 1:10 (LSV)

To “see” the things of God we must learn the secret of abiding in Him, and most importantly being moved in Him.

“For in Him we live, and move…”
Acts 17:28

Only to the depth that we are alive in Him are we moved in Him. His movings are the result of our relationship with Him. Faith is the mover of men and the only criteria that is of any value to Him. To each location of the One Church in the Book of the Revelation God’s Word was based upon their “works” not their belief. The doings of each were the benchmark of His assessment of their condition.

Each life is revealed by the works and fruit of their ways. In Hebrews 11 the writer could not define faith apart from the doings of our forefathers who have gone before us. Their examples reveal the nature and the power of God expressed. So it is with us. The secret works are the fruit of the mercy of God moving through broken vessels of faith who know in truth “the fear of the Lord”.

Too often in our day religion divorces faith from works. If Jesus is living and moving in us there should be a consistency in us that bears a resemblance to Him.

“How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth
with the Holy Ghost and with power:
who went about doing good…”
Acts 10:38

To see Him is to pursue Him. A desire to know Him more is the result of our touching Him.

“O God, thou art my God; early will I seek Thee: my soul thirsteth for Thee… To see Thy power and Thy glory, so as I have seen Thee in the sanctuary… My soul followeth hard after Thee…”
Psalm 63:1-2;8

♥

“No matter how high the powers of reason, no matter how deep the intellect, no one can discover God’s secret messages without paying the cost of true discipleship”
– Winkie Pratney

*NOTE: “shew” The Ancient Pictographs depict Yada as – “(Strong’s 1085): Knowledge: The pictograph is a picture of a door. The second is a picture of the eye. Through the eyes one experiences his world and learns from it. Combined these pictures mean “the door of the eye”. The eye is the window into the man’s very being. Experience is gained through visual observation. Knowledge is achieved through these experiences.

Knowledge: To have an intimate relationship with another person, an idea or an experience.”
– Ancient Hebrew Definition

“And Adam knew Eve his wife;
and she conceived…”
Genesis 4:1

See related Post: The Measure of a Life

Brian Troxel