Matthew 6:1. "Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven,"

Do you see that this warning is dealing with our stature before men? It is being concerned with how one measures up before other men. Do they look up to me and praise me? Jesus is telling us not to be anxious about this.

The Pharisees were concerned about others knowing what they did. They blew trumpets when they gave alms getting many together so it would be known how much they gave. They stood on the street corner to offer prayers. They wanted to measure well in the eyes of man. Jesus is speaking about this in our text; we may not have a concern about our stature in the community.

The measurement of a cubit denotes measuring ourselves by others, i.e., "As big as, i.e., how much:--how great." We are not to be filled with anxiety about our comparison with others in the community because "Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?"

We are not to be anxious over what people think about us. God's Word says in 2CO 10:12, "For we dare not make ourselves of the number, or compare ourselves with some that commend themselves: but they measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise."

Jesus is dealing with peer pressure; He is telling us not to let that be our uppermost concern. This message was not just for the world; Jesus' own disciples were caught in that sin. MAT 18:1-3 tells us, "At the same time came the disciples unto Jesus, saying, Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven? And Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them, And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven."

The disciples were not just concerned about which of them would be seen as the greatest disciple in the world, they wanted to know who would be the greatest in heaven. Who would be the best Christian?

They were measuring and comparing themselves against each other. So when Jesus found them with these questions, He called a small child unto Him. He told them if they didn't become as that little child, they couldn't even enter His kingdom. He was telling them not to worry about who would be the greatest in His kingdom; their first concern should be if they would even enter the kingdom of heaven.