My check engine light is supposed to be helpful, but it’s not. It’s supposed to light up when something is wrong, warning me that there is a serious problem I need to deal with. But instead of a serious problem, I have a not-so-serious problem that is preventing me from knowing about a potentially serious problem. You see, there is nothing wrong with the engine, as far as I know, but there is something wrong with the check engine light. It’s always on, which means it’s never working. I don’t have a problem with my engine; I have a problem with the warning indicator that would tell me I have a problem with my engine. So if I did have a problem with my engine, I wouldn’t know until it’s too late. 

Early indication can be very helpful. Early cancer screening, tornado sirens, and check engine lights can let us know something needs our attention before it is too late. But what about our spiritual lives? With no indicators, too late is hearing, “...I never knew you; depart from me” (Matthew 7:23). That’s a problem that seems to sneak up on someone that can spend a lifetime saying, “Lord, Lord” (Matthew 7:21b) to Jesus, only to find out, you got a bad engine. 

So what are early indicators that things are right? That faith is genuine? 

In Jesus' famous sermon on the mount, there is a repeated concept of a telling private life. It is like a sign of a car that is running well, but instead of an engine, it speaks to faith. Pure, well operating, genuine, faith. Take a look for yourself. 

“Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you” (Matthew 6:2-4).

“And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you” (Matthew 6:5-6).

“And when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you” (Matthew 6:16-18).

The indicator is not just religious activity. The fact that you pray, or give, or serve, or attend may not be the right indicator to look at. Jesus is talking to people fully engaged in religious activity. They are giving, they are praying, they are fasting. But it is being done as an indicator to others. So in a sense a light is on, but just like the check engine light, it doesn’t mean that it is working. It may not be giving you the correct information. And because it is on, because you go to church and say your prayers and give some money, you may be ignorant to bigger problems. 

Now Jesus doesn’t say that we shouldn’t give, or pray, or fast, but why we are doing it matters. Why we are doing it is an indicator of faith. What is done in private says something—something different than the same thing said in public. 

It is easy to find motivation in what others think of you. Jesus even recognizes the reward in that—people think well of you, that is a type of reward. You wanted their approval, congratulations you got it, that’s your reward. Enjoy it while it lasts, because it won’t last long. And why would anyone settle for cheap, temporary recognition, when through the same activities rich, eternal rewards are being offered? Well, now it is a matter of faith.

To live for the approval of others, that’s immediate. I can experience the affirmation right now. Complements and praise, like fast food french fries. I mean, who wants to wait 16 hours for a perfectly smoked brisket? And besides, the fries are now. Do I really believe the brisket is real? Do I really believe that it is better? Do I really think that I need to choose?

What we do in private says a lot about what we really believe. In fact, to really believe in God is to disbelieve in privacy. To believe in God is to acknowledge God, an all seeing, ever present God. And to acknowledge an all seeing, ever present God is to abandon all sense of privacy. Your heavenly father sees in secret. Which is another way of saying, there is no secret. There is nothing private. He sees you when no one else is around. He sees the secret thoughts. He sees the private actions. 

Do you believe that? 

Does it matter to you what He sees? 

Faith not only confesses that He sees, but also believes that what He sees matters most. Faith says that we would rather please Him than the watching neighbors. That we would rather have His reward than the immediate ones of this world.

So what does your private life indicate? Does it testify that you believe in a watching God who rewards what he sees?