Secret Missions with God: Give
“Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven. So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 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. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.” Matthew 6: 1-4
In Jesus’s day, everyone knew who the religious leaders were. Not only were they decked out in special garb, but they made their presence and “righteousness” known wherever they went. As Jesus teaches during the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7), he tells his disciples that these religious leaders have it all backwards when it comes to giving, prayer, and fasting.
Jesus warns his disciples to “Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.” The religious leaders would do what God asked (give to the poor) but would make it all about themselves.
Jesus says they would “announce it with trumpets,,,to be honored by others.” It makes me giggle a little to picture a Pharisee standing on the street corner, banging a gong, yelling out “Hey look everyone! I’m helping! Watch me give to the poor!”
It might sound a little ridiculous to us, but we can often be guilty of a similar thing. Are the good things we do motivated by other people’s approval or are they done out of a deep love for God alone?
The Pharisees were so busy focusing on the appearance of righteousness that they were actually missing the heart of God. And I don’t think any of us want that. What’s most tragic too is that Jesus says that because of the way the Pharisees act, “they have already received their reward in full.”
They wanted other people’s praise and approval, and they got it, but as we all know, that kind of praise only lasts for a moment. For a few seconds, the Pharisees would be satisfied, but then they’d have to jump right back on the spinning wheel of approval.
Jesus offers his followers a better way. He tells us that “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. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.” And so I have a proposal: What if you viewed giving to others as a secret mission with God?
My challenge for you is this: sometime this week, do something for someone in need. And then don’t tell anyone about it! It could be buying a box of chewy granola bars to give to homeless people as they ask for help on the street corner. It could be buying something for a friend or person at your school or church who can’t afford it themselves. It could be mowing the yard of your elderly neighbor or dropping by a surprise treat for someone going through a hard time. Pray and ask God to show you what you should do. And then do what you feel like He tells you to do without making it about you.
God wants our hearts more than anything. When we’re distracted by other people’s approval, we’re missing out. Let your good works this week be out of the overflow of love you have for God instead of another way to gain praise from others. And as you do them, let your heart whisper, “I love you Lord. Thank you for teaching me to love others well because of your love for me.”