Matthew Chapter 6
Scripture:
1 “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.
2 “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.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. Then your
Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. (Matt. 6:1-4)
Observation:
I am convicted by this.
Not because I shout it from rooftops when I give, but because this is
the test of our religion. (James 1:27) What
we do, and who gets the honor when we do it is the question. Instead of trumpets, we now have published
lists of donors on websites, in brick, on plaques…
It’s inside us to want to horde, to control others with our
resources. It is in us to want the world
look on us favorably for our generosity.
Why else would we publish those lists, create matching funds, have donor
perks and such? We crave recognition
when we do righteous things. It’s human.
Conversely, I think that it is also one of a million ways
that we can thumb our nose at God.
“See? I don’t have to follow your
rules to be good. I can still be moral
on my own terms.”
But peel back the wealth and look at the motives that guide
your giving and you will see the true nature of your religion.
Application:
I love that there is a progression of maturity contained in
this chapter. First, it tells us to
give, to value God’s assessment of our choices and decisions more than the
world. (vs 1-4) Then second, it talks
about securing a dialogue of prayer, literally teaching us how to do it. Third is a call to deepening that
relationship through self-discipline. In
this case; it uses fasting as the example.
Fourth, after you have soaked up the good things that come from being in
such a rich relationship, to store your treasures in heaven, where it’s safe
from damage, reinvested in the right things so that we are looping at the
beginning of the cycle, it becomes self-sustaining.
Then last, when the priorities are right concerning our
wealth, we aren’t to worry about stuff, not to carry the stress from it with us
from day to day like stones in a pack.
I think all of us have to approach this lesson in
order. We have to start by being willing
to give, and to do it for the right reasons; in secret, for the benefit of
others, not for how it looks. Have you checked
your motives lately, asked who it is you are trying to please?
Maybe you are further down the road of maturity. Maybe you ARE giving in secret, maybe you ARE
actively doing things with your resources here on earth that further the
kingdom – but you fret. Maybe you need
to focus on trust. For you, this is an
exercise of your faith that your Heavenly Father will supply your needs.
Wherever you are on this progression of maturity, it’s as
much of a reflection of your relationship with God as it is with your
relationship with man. Giving ties both
relationships together through your point of action. To give freely and secretly requires trust
that you believe in a God who provides for your needs.
Prayer:
Lord I pray as Jesus taught us, that you would give us this
day our daily bread. Help us trust you
enough with what we have today, to do with it as you lead, knowing that you
will give us what we need tomorrow. I
pray that we would learn through fasting, denying ourselves, how to serve you
better. Amen.
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