This individual study guide draws directly from the sermon “Showcase - 12:45pm Sunday Service | Live from Rossview” so you can keep engaging with the message all week. Read, reflect, and share it with your small group or friends.

In-Depth Bible Study Guide

Basic Disciplines in the Kingdom of God

Primary Text: Matthew 6:1–18

1. Introduction & Overview

In this fifth message of a Sermon on the Mount series, Pastor Mike unpacks what Jesus calls Christians to in Matthew 6:1–18: the foundational spiritual disciplines of giving, prayer, and fasting. The sermon's central argument is that these three practices are not optional extras for the spiritually elite but expected rhythms of life for anyone who belongs to the kingdom of God — and that the motivation behind them matters as much as the practices themselves. Jesus repeatedly warns against performing disciplines for public approval, and repeatedly promises that "your Father who sees in secret will reward you."

Key Biblical Passage: Matthew 6:1–18 (within the larger Sermon on the Mount, Matthew 5–7)

Study Objectives: By the end of this guide, you will be able to (1) explain the literary structure and rhetorical pattern Jesus uses in Matthew 6:1–18; (2) understand the first-century Jewish and Greco-Roman cultural backdrop that makes Jesus' warnings about hypocrisy so pointed; (3) engage meaningfully with key Greek terms that illuminate the text's depth; (4) trace the theme of "secret devotion" through both Testaments; and (5) articulate a theologically grounded understanding of spiritual disciplines as intimacy-cultivators rather than merit-earners.

Estimated Study Time: 2–3 hours

Why This Passage Matters: Matthew 6 sits at the heart of the Sermon on the Mount and addresses one of the most persistent distortions of religious life — the drift from genuine devotion toward performance. This text has shaped Christian spirituality for two millennia, directly influencing figures from the Desert Fathers to John Wesley to Dallas Willard. It deserves careful, unhurried study.

How This Guide Builds on the Sermon: The sermon provided a strong pastoral framework and compelling application. This guide goes deeper into the Greek text, the first-century religious world, the theological architecture of the passage, and the broader biblical witness — giving you the scholarly foundation to live these truths with greater conviction.

2. Exegetical Analysis

Literary Structure and Genre

Matthew 6:1–18 is part of the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5–7), a sustained didactic discourse — an extended teaching section — delivered by Jesus on a hillside in Galilee. Scholars debate whether this represents a single sermon or a Matthean compilation of Jesus' teachings, but either way, Matthew presents it as authoritative instruction from the messianic teacher.

Matthew 6:1–18 displays a remarkably tight, three-part chiastic-like structure. Each of the three disciplines follows the same rhetorical pattern:

Negative example: "When you [give/pray/fast], do not be like the hypocrites who..."
Consequence of hypocrisy: "Truly I say to you, they have received their reward."
Positive instruction: "But when you [give/pray/fast]..."
Promise: "Your Father who sees in secret will reward you."

This parallelism is not accidental. It is a deliberate pedagogical and rhetorical device designed for memorability and emphasis. The repetition of "when" (hotan, not "if") signals that Jesus regards these practices as assumed behaviors of kingdom citizens.

The Setup Verse (6:1)

Verse 1 functions as a thesis statement for the entire unit: "Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them." The word translated "righteousness" (dikaiosynē) is the same word used in the Beatitudes (5:6, 5:10) and the climactic 5:20 — "unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees." Jesus is not condemning righteous acts; he is condemning the theatricalization of righteous acts.

On Giving (6:2–4)

The instruction on giving opens with the memorable image of hypocrites "sounding a trumpet" before their almsgiving. Whether this was literal practice or vivid hyperbole (scholars debate this), the image captures the spirit of self-promotional charity. The phrase "they have received their reward" (apechousin ton misthon autōn) uses a commercial term for "paid in full" — as if a receipt has been stamped. The account is settled. Nothing more is coming.

The counter-instruction — "do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing" — is a striking idiom. It points toward an internalized, unselfconscious generosity so habitual that even the giver's internal deliberation is bypassed.

On Prayer (6:5–15)

The prayer section is the longest and most developed, because Jesus not only corrects wrong motivations but provides a model prayer. The Lord's Prayer (6:9–13) functions as a pattern, not a script — a structured template covering seven movements: adoration, submission, petition, provision, forgiveness, protection, and doxology. Jesus' double warning — "don't pray like hypocrites" (v. 5) and "don't heap up empty phrases like the Gentiles" (v. 7) — corrects two opposite errors: performance-driven prayer and mechanical, wordcount-driven prayer.

The forgiveness coda (6:14–15) is striking in its directness. It does not introduce a new doctrine of merit but rather, as the sermon rightly observed, probes whether the one praying has genuinely received the grace they are asking God to extend.

On Fasting (6:16–18)

Fasting receives the briefest treatment but follows the identical pattern. The "disfiguring of faces" (aphanizousin gar ta prosōpa autōn) refers to practices of appearing visibly gaunt or disheveled to signal one's fasting. Jesus' counterinstruction — "anoint your head and wash your face" — is not about concealment for its own sake but about the inward orientation of the discipline.

3. Historical & Cultural Context

The Synagogue and Public Religious Life

First-century Jewish life was deeply communal and public. The synagogue was not merely a worship space but the social, educational, and judicial center of Jewish community life. Public prayers were a regular feature of synagogue gatherings, and almsgiving (tzedakah) was considered one of the highest expressions of covenant faithfulness. Giving to the poor was not merely charitable — it was a religious duty with social visibility built in.

This context makes Jesus' warnings all the more pointed. He is not attacking Jewish practice per se but a particular distortion of it — the leveraging of religious obligation for social capital. Craig Keener, in his IVP Bible Background Commentary, notes that "public prayers in the synagogue were common, and those who prayed eloquently were admired." The temptation Jesus addresses was not invented by the Pharisees; it is endemic to any community where religious performance is publicly visible and socially rewarded.

The Pharisees and Scribes

The "hypocrites" Jesus mentions were likely a subset of the Pharisaic movement — not all Pharisees, but those whose practice had become performance. The Greek word hypokritēs (discussed in the Word Studies below) derives from the theater world and carried the connotation of an actor playing a role. Jesus' audience would have felt the sting of this comparison.

Fasting in Jewish Practice

Fasting was a well-established Jewish discipline. The Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur) required fasting (Leviticus 16:29–31). Many devout Jews fasted twice a week — on Mondays and Thursdays — a practice reflected in the Didache (an early Christian document, circa AD 100) and referenced in Luke 18:12. The Pharisee in Luke's parable boasts of this practice. Jesus does not abolish fasting; he assumes it and redirects its motivation.

Greco-Roman Public Benefaction

In the broader Greco-Roman world, wealthy patrons were expected to fund public works, festivals, and civic projects — and to receive public honor in return. Inscriptions honoring benefactors were common throughout the ancient Mediterranean. This culture of euergetism (benefaction for honor) permeated Jewish communities as well. Jesus is swimming against a powerful cultural current when he decouples giving from recognition.

The "Secret Place" in Jewish Thought

Jewish tradition also valued private prayer. The Talmud later records that Rabbi Eliezer said, "When you pray, know before Whom you stand." The idea of God as the attentive audience of private prayer was not foreign to Jewish thought — Jesus is intensifying and clarifying this stream within his tradition rather than introducing something wholly novel.

4. Word Studies

"Righteousness" (Greek, dikaiosynē)

Meaning: Conformity to a standard of right conduct; in the biblical context, right relationship with God expressed in right action toward others. Semantic range includes justice, uprightness, and covenant faithfulness.
Etymology: From dikaios (just, righteous) + -synē (a suffix forming abstract nouns). Related to dikē (justice, right).
Biblical Usage: Matthew uses dikaiosynē 7 times, more than any other Gospel. Key uses: 5:6 ("hunger and thirst for righteousness"), 5:10 ("persecuted for righteousness"), 5:20 ("unless your righteousness exceeds..."), 6:33 ("seek first his kingdom and his righteousness"). Paul uses it extensively in Romans and Galatians.
Theological Significance: In 6:1, Jesus is not warning against righteousness itself but against its performance for human audiences. The word carries both relational and behavioral weight — it is not merely rule-keeping but the outward expression of an inward orientation toward God.
Translation Considerations: The ESV and NASB render it "righteousness"; the NIV uses "acts of righteousness"; the NLT uses "good deeds." The NIV/NLT rendering risks flattening the theological richness of the term.

"Hypocrites" (Greek, hypokritēs)

Meaning: Literally, "one who plays a part" or "an actor." In classical Greek, it referred to a stage actor who wore a mask to play a character.
Etymology: From hypo (under) + krinō (to judge, to separate, to answer). The compound suggests one who "answers from under" — i.e., speaks from behind a mask.
Biblical Usage: Jesus uses this term 17 times in Matthew alone, making it one of his most characteristic words of warning. It appears in 6:2, 5, 16; 7:5; 15:7; 22:18; 23:13–29.
Theological Significance: The theatrical metaphor is devastating. A hypocrite is not simply a liar — they are a performer, playing the role of a righteous person for an audience while the real self remains hidden behind the mask. Jesus is not condemning public religious life but the substitution of performance for reality.
Translation Considerations: All major translations retain "hypocrites," which has passed into English precisely from this word's use in the Gospels.

"Reward" (Greek, misthos)

Meaning: Wages, pay, recompense. The term is used for both earthly wages and eschatological reward.
Etymology: A common Greek term for payment due for labor or service.
Biblical Usage: Matthew 5:12 ("your reward is great in heaven"); 5:46 ("what reward do you have?"); 6:1, 2, 5, 16; 10:41–42; 20:8 (the parable of the workers uses the same term for wages). In 1 Corinthians 3:8, 14, Paul uses it for the eschatological evaluation of ministry.
Theological Significance: The commercial term apechō ("have received in full") in verses 2, 5, and 16 intensifies the word. When Jesus says hypocrites "have received their reward," he is using the language of a completed financial transaction — a paid receipt. The account is closed. This makes the promise of the Father's secret reward all the more striking: it is a different kind of economy entirely.

"In secret" (Greek, en tō kryptō)

Meaning: In the hidden place, in what is concealed. Kryptos means hidden, secret, or concealed — from which we derive "cryptic" and "crypt."
Etymology: From kryptō (to hide, to conceal).
Biblical Usage: John 7:4, 10 (Jesus going to the feast "in secret"); Romans 2:16 ("God judges the secrets of men"); 1 Corinthians 14:25 ("the secrets of his heart are disclosed"). In Matthew 6, the phrase appears three times — in the giving (v. 4), prayer (v. 6), and fasting (v. 18) sections.
Theological Significance: The repetition of en tō kryptō is the theological spine of the entire passage. The "secret place" is not primarily a physical location but a relational posture — the hidden, unperformed, audience-of-One orientation of the soul. God is described as the one "who sees in secret" (ho blepōn en tō kryptō) — a profound affirmation that divine attention is not drawn by spectacle but by sincerity.

"Hallowed" (Greek, hagiazō)

Meaning: To make holy, to sanctify, to treat as holy. In the Lord's Prayer, "hallowed be your name" is a passive imperative — a prayer that God's name would be treated as holy.
Etymology: From hagios (holy, set apart).
Biblical Usage: John 17:17 ("sanctify them in the truth"); 1 Peter 3:15 ("in your hearts honor [sanctify] Christ the Lord as holy"); Revelation 22:11.
Theological Significance: The opening of the Lord's Prayer is not a description of God's name but a petition — let your name be hallowed. It is a prayer that God's reputation, character, and purposes would be honored in the world and in the one praying. This sets the entire model prayer in a posture of God-centeredness from its first breath, correcting the self-centered motivations Jesus has just warned against.

5. Cross-References & Biblical Theology

Parallel Passages

Luke 11:1–13 — Luke's version of the Lord's Prayer, given in a different context (in response to a disciple's request), confirms the prayer's function as a model rather than a fixed liturgy.
Luke 18:9–14 — The parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector directly illustrates Matthew 6's warning. The Pharisee's prayer is a performance; the tax collector's is an anguished cry from the "secret place."

Old Testament Background

Isaiah 58:3–7 — God rebukes Israel's fasting because it is performative and disconnected from justice: "Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of wickedness...?" Jesus stands in this prophetic tradition.
Proverbs 21:3 — "To do righteousness and justice is more acceptable to the LORD than sacrifice." The inner reality matters more than the outward form.
1 Samuel 16:7 — "The LORD looks on the heart." The foundational OT principle that God evaluates the interior, not the exterior.
Psalm 51:6 — "You delight in truth in the inward being." David's post-Bathsheba prayer is itself a model of the "secret place" prayer — raw, honest, unperformed.

Thematic Connections

Jeremiah 31:33 — The new covenant promise: "I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts." Matthew 6 describes what this looks like in practice — disciplines flowing from an inward transformation rather than external compulsion.
Amos 5:21–24 — God's rejection of Israel's religious festivals when disconnected from justice: "I hate, I despise your feasts." The prophetic tradition consistently warns against the gap between religious form and spiritual reality.
Micah 6:8 — "He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?" The humble, private walk with God is the goal Matthew 6 is pointing toward.

New Testament Development

Hebrews 4:16 — "Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace." Directly supports the sermon's point that God is always accessible in prayer — no waiting room, no hold music.
Romans 12:1 — "Present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship." Paul's language of worship as embodied daily life parallels Jesus' vision of disciplines as a way of life, not a performance.
Galatians 1:10 — "Am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ." The verse the pastor cited as a personal anchor — it is Paul's own application of Jesus' principle.
Colossians 3:23 — "Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men." The "audience of One" principle extended to all of life.

6. Interpretive Considerations

The Question of Rewards

Jesus' promise of reward has generated significant interpretive discussion. Some readers worry that any expectation of reward reintroduces a works-based orientation. However, most scholars across traditions recognize that Jesus is not teaching merit-based salvation. As D.A. Carson notes in his commentary on Matthew, the rewards Jesus promises are entirely consistent with grace — they are God's generous response to genuine devotion, not a wage earned by performance. The distinction is between working for God to gain standing and working with God out of love, with the Father freely choosing to honor that devotion.

Is the Lord's Prayer a Liturgical Formula or a Model?

Christians have debated this for centuries. Some traditions (Catholic, Orthodox, Anglican, Lutheran) rightly incorporate the Lord's Prayer as a liturgical text. Others (many evangelical and free church traditions) emphasize it as a structural model. The sermon took the latter view, which has strong exegetical support: the phrase "pray like this" (houtōs oun proseuchesthe) suggests a pattern, not a script. However, it is worth noting that liturgical use of the prayer is not inherently hypocritical — the issue is always the posture of the heart, not the form of the words. Both uses can be authentic or performative, depending on the heart.

The Forgiveness Coda (6:14–15)

This is perhaps the most challenging section. Some read it as teaching that God's forgiveness of us is conditional upon our forgiving others — a legalistic reading that creates anxiety. The sermon offered a pastoral and theologically sound alternative: if we cannot forgive others, it may indicate we have not truly received the depths of God's forgiveness for ourselves. This reading is supported by the parable of the unforgiving servant (Matthew 18:21–35), where the servant's unwillingness to forgive reveals he never truly received his master's forgiveness at the level of the heart. It is not a legal transaction but a diagnostic indicator.

Can Fasting Be Communal and Public?

Jesus' instruction to "anoint your head and wash your face" seems to require total concealment. But as the sermon rightly noted, corporate fasting (as practiced at Life Point every January, or as seen in Joel 2:15–16, Acts 13:2–3, and Acts 14:23) is entirely biblical. The issue is not whether others know you are fasting but whether their knowing is the reason you fast.

7. Theological Implications

The Doctrine of God: The Seeing Father

One of the most theologically rich threads in Matthew 6:1–18 is the repeated description of God as one "who sees in secret." This is not a threatening surveillance but a tender attentiveness. The God of Scripture is not indifferent to private devotion — he is especially present to it. This connects to the biblical doctrine of divine omniscience (Psalm 139:1–4) but moves it from the abstract to the intimate: God is not merely all-knowing in a philosophical sense; he is personally attentive to the unseen acts of his children.

Spiritual Disciplines and the Doctrine of Sanctification

The sermon made a crucial theological distinction: spiritual disciplines do not earn our way to God but cultivate intimacy with God. This maps directly onto the Wesleyan-Arminian tradition's emphasis on the "means of grace" — practices through which God works sanctifying grace in the believer — and resonates with the Reformed tradition's understanding of the "ordinary means of grace" (Word, prayer, sacrament). Dallas Willard's influential work The Spirit of the Disciplines (1988) argues that spiritual disciplines are not the source of spiritual transformation but the conditions under which the Holy Spirit transforms us. The sermon's pastoral framing aligns precisely with this theological consensus.

The Kingdom of God and Countercultural Ethics

Matthew 6 is part of Jesus' larger project of describing what life looks like under God's reign. The kingdom of God operates by an inverted economy: the last are first, the humble are exalted, and the giving done in secret receives the greatest reward. This is not merely a personal ethic but a social and political statement — the kingdom refuses the patronage systems and honor economies of both the ancient world and our own.

The Theology of Prayer

The Lord's Prayer encapsulates a robust theology of prayer: God is personal (Father), transcendent (in heaven), holy (hallowed be your name), sovereign (your kingdom come), provident (give us this day our daily bread), forgiving (forgive us our debts), protective (lead us not into temptation), and glorious (yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory). This is not a checklist but a portrait of the God to whom we pray — and prayer that is shaped by this portrait will inevitably be transformed.

8. Practical Application

From Scholarship to Discipleship

Understanding that hypokritēs is a theatrical term — an actor behind a mask — transforms how we examine our own devotional lives. The question is not merely "Am I doing the disciplines?" but "Who is my audience?" The Greek commercial term for "paid in full" (apechō) should sober us: human approval, when sought, is the entire paycheck. There is nothing left.

Building the Secret Place

The sermon's closing challenge — how are you doing in the secret place? — is the practical heart of the message. Scholarship deepens the invitation: the "secret place" (en tō kryptō) is not merely a physical space but a relational posture. Consider these specific steps:

Schedule it: Set a recurring calendar appointment titled "Secret Place" — the sermon's practical suggestion, grounded in the text's assumption that this is a when, not an if.
Structure it with the Lord's Prayer: Use the seven movements (adoration, submission, petition, provision, forgiveness, protection, doxology) as a daily framework. This is praying through the prayer, not merely reciting it.
Examine your giving motivation: Before your next act of generosity, pause and ask: "Would I give this if absolutely no one — not even the recipient — ever knew?" The left-hand/right-hand test is a heart diagnostic.
Try a single-meal fast: The sermon's suggestion of fasting one meal per week is a biblical, historically grounded, and practically accessible entry point. Use each hunger pang as a prayer prompt.

The Audience of One

The deepest application of this passage is a fundamental reorientation of the self: from performing for human audiences to living before the divine audience. This is not a one-time decision but a daily, moment-by-moment practice. As the sermon rightly observed, God is more excited about your time with him than anyone is ever impressed by it.

9. Discussion Questions

Observational

In Matthew 6:1–18, Jesus uses the phrase "when you" (give, pray, fast) rather than "if you." What does this grammatical choice reveal about Jesus' expectations for his followers? What other practices in Matthew 5–7 does Jesus treat with the same assumed expectation?
Look carefully at the structure of each of the three sections (giving, prayer, fasting). What elements appear in all three? What is unique to the prayer section? Why do you think Jesus gave more space to prayer than to the other two disciplines?
The phrase "they have received their reward" uses a Greek commercial term (apechō) meaning "paid in full." How does this commercial metaphor shape your understanding of what Jesus is warning against?

Interpretive

Jesus says, "Do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing" (6:3). What do you think this idiom means? The sermon suggested it points to giving that is so habitual it bypasses internal deliberation. Do you find this convincing? What other interpretations are possible?
How do you understand the forgiveness coda in 6:14–15? Is Jesus teaching that God's forgiveness of us is conditional on our forgiving others? How does the parable of the unforgiving servant in Matthew 18:21–35 help clarify this?
The Lord's Prayer is used both as a liturgical formula (recited in worship) and as a structural model for personal prayer. Given the context of Matthew 6, which use do you think Jesus primarily intended? Can both uses be legitimate? What determines whether either use is authentic or hypocritical?

Theological

The sermon made a crucial distinction: spiritual disciplines do not earn our way to God but cultivate intimacy with God. How does this distinction protect against both legalism (earning God's favor) and antinomianism (no disciplines needed)? How does this shape your understanding of the role of spiritual practices in the Christian life?
God is described three times in this passage as one "who sees in secret." What does this reveal about God's character and his relationship to his people? How does this portrait of a "seeing Father" differ from the image of a divine scorekeeper or a distant deity?

Applicational

The sermon asked: How are you doing in the secret place? Be honest with yourself. Is your prayer life primarily public (meals, church, obligatory moments) or does it include regular private devotion? What would it look like to restructure your week around a daily "secret place" appointment?
The passage connects fasting to the disciplining of the body — the sermon argued that if you can say no to food, you can say no to other temptations. Have you ever practiced fasting? If so, what did you discover? If not, what has prevented you, and what would a realistic first step look like?
Where in your life are you most tempted to perform your faith for others rather than practice it before God? What specific situations, relationships, or platforms bring out the "hypocrite" in you — and what would it look like to redirect that energy toward the secret place?

Investigative

Dallas Willard's The Spirit of the Disciplines and Richard Foster's Celebration of Discipline are two of the most influential modern treatments of spiritual disciplines. Read the first chapter of either book and compare their theological framework for disciplines with what Jesus teaches in Matthew 6:1–18. Where do they align? Where, if anywhere, do they differ?

10. Recommended Resources

Commentaries on Matthew

Accessible

Michael J. Wilkins, Matthew (NIV Application Commentary, Zondervan) — Excellent balance of exegesis and application. Wilkins is a reliable evangelical scholar who handles the Sermon on the Mount with care. Ideal for motivated lay readers.
R.T. France, The Gospel of Matthew (New International Commentary on the New Testament, Eerdmans) — More detailed than Wilkins but still accessible to dedicated non-specialists. France's treatment of the Lord's Prayer is particularly strong.

Intermediate

D.A. Carson, The Sermon on the Mount: An Evangelical Exposition of Matthew 5–7 (Baker) — A focused, theologically rich treatment of exactly the text covered in this sermon series. Carson is precise, fair, and devotionally warm. Highly recommended for this study.
Craig S. Keener, A Commentary on the Gospel of Matthew (Eerdmans) — Keener's unmatched knowledge of first-century Jewish and Greco-Roman backgrounds makes this invaluable for the historical context sections. Dense but rewarding.

Advanced

Ulrich Luz, Matthew 1–7 (Hermeneia, Fortress Press) — The most exhaustive critical commentary on Matthew's early chapters, including extensive history of interpretation. Seminary-level engagement required.

Spiritual Disciplines

Accessible

Richard J. Foster, Celebration of Discipline: The Path to Spiritual Growth (HarperOne) — The modern classic on spiritual disciplines from a broadly evangelical Quaker perspective. Chapters on prayer, fasting, and giving directly illuminate Matthew 6. Accessible and devotionally rich.

Intermediate

Dallas Willard, The Spirit of the Disciplines: Understanding How God Changes Lives (HarperOne) — More theologically and philosophically rigorous than Foster, Willard argues that disciplines are the conditions under which spiritual transformation occurs. His framework is the best available theological defense of why the disciplines matter without becoming legalistic.

Biblical Theology and Background

Accessible

Craig S. Keener, The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament (InterVarsity Press) — Invaluable one-volume resource for understanding the cultural and historical world behind every New Testament passage. Keener's notes on Matthew 6 illuminate the synagogue prayer practices, almsgiving customs, and fasting traditions Jesus addresses.

Intermediate

N.T. Wright, Matthew for Everyone, Part 1 (Westminster John Knox) — Wright's accessible commentary series brings his kingdom-of-God theological framework to bear on the Sermon on the Mount with characteristic clarity and insight. Particularly helpful for understanding the political and social dimensions of Jesus' teaching.

This guide is designed to be used over multiple sittings. Consider working through the Word Studies and Cross-References in one session, the Exegetical Analysis and Historical Context in another, and saving the Discussion Questions for a group conversation. The goal throughout is not merely information but formation — that deeper understanding of what Jesus taught would draw you more fully into the secret place where the Father sees and rewards.