Posted on 05/09/2022 5:40:01 AM PDT by metmom
“‘When you give to the poor, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving will be in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you’” (Matthew 6:3–4).
When you give as Jesus directs—lovingly, unpretentiously, and with no concern for public recognition—“your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.” In other words, if you remember, God forgets; and if you forget, God still remembers. You should simply try to meet every need you can and leave the bookkeeping to Him. This kind of giving is just a matter of realizing that “we have done only that which we ought to have done” (Luke 17:10).
There is nothing wrong with humbly anticipating our reward for true and honest giving. God knows our hearts, attitudes, and motives, and He will not fail to reward us appropriately. After all, our sovereign Lord knows exactly what everyone is doing (Heb. 4:13).
In giving and every other realm of good works, Jesus Christ is our perfect role model (cf. Eph. 2:10). He preached and taught before crowds large and small, and He did miracles of healing, compassion, and power over nature for many to see and benefit from. But He always focused the final attention on His heavenly Father and did not seek His own glory but the Father’s (John 8:49–50).
Our motive in hoping for any rewards ought to be the anticipation of placing them as offerings at the Lord’s feet, like the twenty-four elders who “will cast their crowns before the throne, saying, ‘Worthy are You, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power’” (Rev. 4:10–11).
Ask Yourself
Like with any sinful tendency you wish to conquer, the secret is daily obedience, even in the smallest ways, not wanting to give the enemy the slightest opening for victory. In what ways could the day ahead likely give you an opportunity to practice this—to seek God’s reward alone?
From Daily Readings from the Life of Christ, Vol. 1, John MacArthur. Copyright © 2008. Used by permission of Moody Publishers, Chicago, IL 60610, www.moodypublishers.com.
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Studying God’s Word ping
Thank you, a timely reminder.
That said, Praise the Lord each and everyday with giving, not only money, but time, labor, a few minutes for those that have no one to talk to, listening, a kind word, give comfort, and then , most importantly, give thanks to our Lord for giving us the means and opportunity to do his work.
Amen.
Everyone seems to think of giving as money related, but you are right.
Sometimes a listening ear and some compassion goes far further than all the money in the world.
to seek God’s reward alone?
I have often thought that God is the master of gifting and regifting. God gives the chosen to Jesus, Jesus gives to the Spirit, The Spirit gives back to Jesus and then Jesus gives back to God. And round and round they go.
From an earthly perspective regifting is frowned upon but from a heavenly perspective?
So maybe we should look at this as regifting, not earning rewards? Just a thought.
I agree.
Doing it for the reward defeats the purpose, IMO.
Everyone seems to think of giving as money related, but you are right.
Sometimes a listening ear and some compassion goes far further than all the money in the world
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True. Think, what is money? A method to store your “time”, a store house of your labor, your work. Giving your “time “ that can not be converted to physical money is equally valuable, it is yours, and only you own it.
That said, I have found only one sure method to determine if a person is a practicing Christian. Examine his/ her checkbook! Even the widow who had little, gave her last two “ mites “ ( copper coins, penny’s) away. In addition of the two mites- she gave her TIME to go and pray at the Temple.
“The widow put her coins into the box, and Jesus called His disciples to Him and pointed out her action: “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on” (Mark 12:43–44; cf. Luke 21:1–4).
Faith without works is dead
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