“Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven. 2 “Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward.3 But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you." (Matthew 6)
You could not only see them coming - you could hear them coming: snobbish "spiritual" show-offs with their fancy clothes and displays of "charity. It has been around for ages - in the temple courts, in the palaces of the Middle Ages, and on the pages of the latest town news. There is no problem with the gift; it's the giver. The poor we will always have with us in this world, the Wise One once said; there will always be needs we as His people should respond to. The real issue is HOW we respond. Do we feel more spiritual because we have to give? Do we do so out of love and to glorify God? Do we want to see their response or His? Do we want Him to be impressed, or do we want to be awed by Him? Do we love to give - anonymously, freely, joyfully? Do we Give and Forget? Do we find ourselves asking: "Why is God being so good to me?" because we have only done what we ought to have done? Respond. Give. Forget. Give Thanks. Quietly
No comments:
Post a Comment