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.
At the core, this passage is dealing with the motivation for our actions. Why are we giving to the poor? Is it to honor God, or is it to honor ourselves? Are we doing it to help those who need it, or are we doing it so that people will think we're good? Jesus makes it clear that 'acts of righteousness' mean nothing when they are done for public recognition. So when we give to the poor we should try to keep the fact to ourselves. Only if someone does something like that in secret is it then done for God, because God knows of every good and bad thing we do.
This does not, however, mean that we should shy away from righteousness, or that we should avoid appearing righteous. If it happens that you do something good, and that something cannot be hidden, then pray that God uses that to inspire others to do good. The passage really is dealing with our motivation. So, if someone does something simply for God, but in practice its impossible to keep it hidden, that is still what Jesus is asking for. And if you look back to Matthew 5:16, you see that Jesus tells us to let our light shine before men that they may see our good deeds and praise the Father in heaven.
In each circumstance we should discern whether it is proper for us to keep something hidden or let others around us know. Either one may be the right thing to do. But we must always check our motives. If you do something for your own honor, then you will have no reward from God. If that is your motive, then your deed is nothing more than the deed itself. But if you do it for God, those receiving the benefit of your charity will also see your reverence. They will give God honor and thanks, because you are a servant of the Lord. And you will feel much more at peace in your soul. You will feel the love of Christ, and it will make you want to do more. Recognition is absolutely unnecessary for doing good. Just know that God sees you.
At the core, this passage is dealing with the motivation for our actions. Why are we giving to the poor? Is it to honor God, or is it to honor ourselves? Are we doing it to help those who need it, or are we doing it so that people will think we're good? Jesus makes it clear that 'acts of righteousness' mean nothing when they are done for public recognition. So when we give to the poor we should try to keep the fact to ourselves. Only if someone does something like that in secret is it then done for God, because God knows of every good and bad thing we do.
This does not, however, mean that we should shy away from righteousness, or that we should avoid appearing righteous. If it happens that you do something good, and that something cannot be hidden, then pray that God uses that to inspire others to do good. The passage really is dealing with our motivation. So, if someone does something simply for God, but in practice its impossible to keep it hidden, that is still what Jesus is asking for. And if you look back to Matthew 5:16, you see that Jesus tells us to let our light shine before men that they may see our good deeds and praise the Father in heaven.
In each circumstance we should discern whether it is proper for us to keep something hidden or let others around us know. Either one may be the right thing to do. But we must always check our motives. If you do something for your own honor, then you will have no reward from God. If that is your motive, then your deed is nothing more than the deed itself. But if you do it for God, those receiving the benefit of your charity will also see your reverence. They will give God honor and thanks, because you are a servant of the Lord. And you will feel much more at peace in your soul. You will feel the love of Christ, and it will make you want to do more. Recognition is absolutely unnecessary for doing good. Just know that God sees you.
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