“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

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In first grade, a little girl brought tulips to our teacher. I noticed the teacher seemed to always call on this smartie-pie—but not me so much. Puffy yellow flowers grew right in the grass near my house,  so I wrapped them in a paper towel and foil and brought them to my teacher. Now, she might call on me, too, I thought. She didn’t. 

Many middle school kids learned that the tulip picker was a brown noser, and I was a brown noser in the making. They were right.

I wanted to be loved, then and now, and I still catch myself acting this way. I can fall into this hypocritical behavior of giving and expecting in return, which impacts my relationship with God. I wonder, “Will I ever learn that I can’t earn God’s love?” Will I ever learn that I can never be good enough or give enough? I need to be reminded that He loves me because he just does. His love is that simple, that pure, and that unbelievable!

In today’s passage, Jesus says, “Be careful not to practice your righteousness (good deeds) in front of others to be seen by them.” In the Message Bible, verse 4  says, “Just do it—quietly and unobtrusively. That’s how your God, who conceived you in love and works behind the scenes, helps you out.”

Our God is ‘quiet and unobtrusive’ and wants us to follow his example. We all know the magical bell ringers with red kettles outside department stores starting at Thanksgiving. I loved reading recently that an anonymous donor wrapped five $10,000 checks inside a dollar bill and then put them in a red kettle one Black Friday. This person became known as the ‘Secret Santa Giver.’ I’m sure God delighted in this person who aligned their heart with His. 

I believe in giving God’s way. He expects us to check our motives and ensure that when we give, we expect nothing in return. 

Next Steps

When I was growing up, our church sang a song often after the offering. These words capture the giver that Jesus wants us all to be: people devoted to glorifying and giving all praise to God. Please listen as Brandon Grissom sings the Doxology