Impress Him over Others

Some of my worst performances in basketball took place in front of either my parents or a girl I was trying to impress.

My parents could not make every game I had, and since junior varsity games were not well-attended, I knew when they, or the girl, were there, and I would try extra hard to impress them. All that would do was make me self-conscious about my performance, and I would make error after error. I allowed my desire to impress distract me from focusing on the matter at hand: winning the game.

When it comes to living a life for Christ, who are we trying to impress? Jesus, during His Sermon on the Mount, spoke specifically to this. In Matthew 6, Jesus spoke about giving, praying and fasting. But He advised us to do them for the glory of God. He said if we boast about our giving or pray lengthy prayers just to be heard or look like the fasting is killing us, we are doing them for the wrong reasons. He also said in verses 2, 5, and 18 that those who practice such things “have their reward in full.”

It is natural to want to impress a coach to get playing time, your parents or even that special someone. But when it comes to the things of the Lord, don’t make a show of it. Do it to draw closer to your God and do it in secret. Jesus also said this is the way to impress the Lord.