1 Peter 3:15-16
Be Gentle and Respectful
15 But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect,16 keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander.
Matthew 6:3-4
Practice Secrecy in Giving
3 But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
Matthew 6:17-18
Practice Secrecy in Fasting
17 But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, 18 so that it will not be obvious to men that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
One of the things after studying the Gospels that amazes me, is that Jesus is a very private person and the most humbled One I have ever read about...He often sought out lonely places to pray...He never sought fame or to be famous...He never tried to be popular...Yet, He is the most popular and famous Man ever to walk the earth...How did this happen?...It is because of the things He said, taught, and did...Yet, everything He done on earth was done humbly and in humility...
There is something here He wants us to learn about keeping certain things private in our lives, in respect to His Father...All things done, whether in our own privacy or in front of others, are seen by His Father...So there is a time, when we are talking and communicating to others, and there is a time we are to practice being private and secretive...Jesus wants us to give to the needy in privacy...He teaches us about fasting, and that should be also done in secret...In His Kingdom there are some things private between man to man, but nothing is private in the eyes of God...He sees everything...Many of the things we do for God should be done in secret, because He sees them and will reward you...Some of the holiest and sacred things, such as some of your prayers, the giving you do -should be done in privacy, because the LORD sees them...
Jesus taught His disciples about humility, and how to nurture humility...If we tell everyone everything about what we know -it is a little more difficult not to show some pride...And although I am so proud to read about Jesus, He never showed pride in His daily living...If we think about our greatest sports figures, greatest celebrities, and most famous politicians -when someone is always hitting home runs, or scoring the most touchdowns, or making movie after movie, or speaking on TV, there comes with this an element of pride, that one has to be careful of...Learning and practicing this humility, like Jesus has, is very difficult...Most of us, like to tell others of our personal achievements in life...Jesus life was centered around His Father...He liked to talk and teach about God, His Father...
St. Peter, I think, learned this humility lesson and in talking and communicating to others about God and His Son...When he writes his first epistle -he talks about always being prepared to answer to everyone who asks for the hopes you have...When we are asked, we are to tell people about Jesus...But when they ask, we are to answer them with gentleness and respect...This humble approach will be viewed more positively than other approaches...We are to practice humility, when we speak about the Good Teacher...When we do these things, we learn from Him that we can do good things, that are above our own self...Or put another way, goodness, in the eyes of Jesus, is above most other things in life...He teaches us that doing good things is far above and outweighs being famous and being popular in the eyes of others...