“Take care not to do your good deeds publicly or before men, in order to be seen by them; otherwise you will have no reward [reserved for and awaiting you] with and from your Father Who is in heaven.” – Matthew 6:1 (AMP)
Christ teaches the principles of the Kingdom which are in most cases contrary to what the world believes to be the norm. There are many people who do many things in order to receive praise of men, giving is one of those things. Christians must be givers, generous givers, not hypocritical givers.
The world is full of people who will give whatever and expect to be praised and rewarded so highly by fellow men but Christ teaches against this. The teaching of Christ on giving is about secrecy. Won’t it be contradictory if you consider Jesus’ instruction to let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and His instruction to not do your good deeds before men?
The simple explanation for this seeming contradiction is MOTIVE. Why are you doing what you are doing? Why do you give? If the reason is to be seen and praised of men then you have no reward with God. But when you give or do whatever you do, let it be because you want to bring glory to God. If you truly give generously, men will praise you but do not fix your focus on their praise but on God, the Giver of All Things.
Learn not to announce yourself as you give to others. Do not recount to people the number of times you have helped or given to them. Don’t give so that they can give you in return. Don’t mock those who do not have openly and then give to them so that people can see you as a saviour. Don’t take pride over what doesn’t belong to you but see it as a privilege that you are able to give to the poor. These instructions, as simple as they are, disobeying them makes you an hypocrite and you lose the reward of what you have done.
Rather, give without anyone seeing you. Don’t give because others are there to applaud you but give, even when no one is there to applaud you. One of the evil that has plagued many Christians in this age is social media. Many people give in order to have social media followers. Don’t do that. Without the camera, be comfortable with giving to people. Let God who sees in secret reward you openly. Blessings.
Practical Application: Have you ever felt bad that you gave openly whilst expecting applause or praise of men and none was given? How did you handle the situation? And did you learn the lesson that God is the One who truly rewards givers and not man?
Confession: By the Spirit of God in me, I give generously. I am kind to all around me. I give with the right motive. My heart is full of compassion for the needy and I share with them my resources. I am not stingy and I am not wicked.
Related Scriptures: Matthew 6:1-4
Bible Reading: Luke 6
