Good Morning Friends,
“Be careful not to do your ‘acts of
righteousness’ before men, 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 men. I tell you the truth, 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)
To God, the motive is just as important as the
action. It is important to ask ourselves why we do the things we do for Him. To
bring glory and honor to God -- to obey Him -- because of the needs of others --
those are all good motives. To receive acclaim -- to earn His favor -- to make
us feel good -- those are all motives that are less than right.
God spoke through Isaiah to say, “I am the
LORD; that is my name! I will not give my glory to another or my praise to
idols.” (Isaiah 42:8) The glory for everything we do does not belong to us, but
to our heavenly Father. It is His work in us that accomplishes what we do.
Giving to those in need is a God-honoring thing
to do. Be sure you’re doing it for Him and for them, though, and not for
yourself.
His, by Grace, Steve
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