#matt 6

[rakhma-agape-ahavah]

[goddamndumbass]

[text]: all i remember is you climbed in a garbage can and said you were trashed (Matt bc of course)

(✉ → definitely not the devil): it was an homage, i was pretending to be u 

@wcrldonfire

[comochurchofchrist]

Giving to the Needy

“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.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. 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. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you."

People love praise. I love praise. We might not say or act like we do, but deep down inside, everyone likes that feeling of being appreciated. On the surface, there's nothing wrong with giving or receiving praise. However, there are time when it can get the best of us, and cross over from just being a compliment or a praise to being more about inflating someone's pride.

It is this behavior that Jesus warns us against. In one way, he says, "Don't let your pride get in the way of your motivations for good deeds." He compares it to those that want to be seen by others. I can imagine those people. I've seen that guy. You know, the guy that rustles the collection plate as it goes around, the guy that casually lets others know how much he wrote off his taxes for charitable donations, the guy that signs his name on the giant checks for the charity event. That guy. Don't be that guy.

But you don't' have to write giant checks from your giant checkbook (is that where those big checks come from?) to have the wrong motivations in giving to others. Jesus says any righteous deed done to be seen before others isn't righteous anymore. You've already gotten your reward when people applaud, pat you on the back, or give you praise.

Instead, he says, try doing those things in secret. Don't let other people know what you're doing (at least not to be praised). Don't be motivated by anything other than pleasing your Father. That's the best reward we can receive. May we always seek to give and do for others to please our Heavenly Father, never ourselves or others. Give, and give glory to God!