March 12, 2023

“Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them. Otherwise you have no reward from your Father in heaven.” Matthew 6:1

Christ plainly warns against making a show of good deeds for the purpose of receiving praise and flattery, for such actions short circuit the true motive that He desires to create in the development of our characters. Acts of charity that are paraded to impress others spring from a spirit and motivation that are the very opposite of the character of the Savior. And the methods required are manipulative, all geared around self-exaltation. Every age and culture has seen this principle cherished. In Jesus’ day, it was the spirit of the Pharisees, but in reality, it is just the basic spirit of fallen human nature.

“But when you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, that your charitable deed may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly.” vv.3-4

The Savior Himself came humbly to the earth in order to direct all glory towards His heavenly Father. He was not teaching that acts of kindness were meant to be “top secret” but that they should spontaneously spring from love for God and genuine concern for those who are downcast, that they might lift their gaze heavenward. Such a motive sets an entirely different countenance upon the face of the giver who has internalized the command to “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.” (Matthew 5:16)

“No one can give place in his own heart and life for the stream of God’s blessing to flow to others, without receiving in himself a rich reward. The hillsides and plains that furnish a channel for the mountain streams to reach the sea suffer no loss thereby. That which they give is repaid a hundredfold. For the stream that goes singing on its way leaves behind its gift of verdure and fruitfulness. The grass on its banks is a fresher green, the trees have a richer verdure, the flowers are more abundant. When the earth lies bare and brown under the summer’s parching heat, a line of verdure marks the river’s course; and the plain that opened her bosom to bear the mountain’s treasure to the sea is clothed with freshness and beauty, a witness to the recompense that God’s grace imparts to all who give themselves as a channel for its outflow to the world.” Ellen G. White

“Look to Me and be saved, all you ends of the earth! For I am God and there is no other.” Isaiah 45:22