Today’s Podcast
Today’s Bible reading plan:
Read it in a year – Genesis 8-11
see the whole year’s plan [here](http://www.bible-reading.com/bible-plan.pdf)
Today’s Devotional
Matthew 6:1-4
Jesus: But when you do these righteous acts, do not do them in front of spectators. Don’t do them where you can be seen, let alone lauded, by others. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven. When you give to the poor, do not boast about it, announcing your donations with blaring trumpets as the play actors do. Do not brazenly give your charity in the synagogues and on the streets; indeed, do not give at all if you are giving because you want to be praised by your neighbors. Those people who give in order to reap praise have already received their reward. When you give to the needy, do it in secret—even your left hand should not know what your right hand is doing. Then your Father, who sees in secret, will reward you.
What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?
What would happen if the government suddenly decided not to give credit for charitable giving? Would it change your giving habits? Would you give less to your favorite charities or to the church? Would your contributions take a nose dive if you didn’t get credit for giving to others? It’s an interesting question and one these words of Jesus ask us ask ourselves. You see, it’s not just the announcement in the press or your name on a board or in a bulletin that might make your head and chest swell because of what you give.
I’m not saying we shouldn’t take advantage of every tax break we can. Our government certainly doesn’t exactly act with much frugality with its runaway spending and $16 trillion debt. I’m not much in favor of giving more money to officials that don’t know how to tighten their belt when they are asking all of us to. And I don’t think God faults us for taking those deductions on our tax returns when it’s time to face the music at this time of year when we start collecting all those bits of information.
But we should seriously ask ourselves why we give. If its because of a tax break, don’t give. If it’s to get the applause and recognition of those around us, don’t give. If it’s to get our name on the cornerstone or chiseled on the arch of the doorway, don’t give. God says, if we have the wrong motive and expect any blessings from Him because of that extravagant gift, you’ve missed the boat. You’ve already received your reward and it will be pretty sour when it comes around.
You might get a few applause and a few pats on the back for your generosity, but it will pass quickly and soon people will see your name on that stone and wonder who it is. Then people will walk by and never even notice the name. The building will eventually sell or be used for another purpose and your name is likely to be chiseled off or covered up. You reward will have passed on and no one will care.
Does that mean God doesn’t want you to give to the needy? Absolutely not! He loves a cheerful giver He says. He commands us to give of our means. He told us to give of our first fruits, the best that we have. In an agrarian society, He said give of the portion normally set aside to ensure the future, the first fruit, the seed crop for the next year. He said give and He would take care of you. But give because He wants you to know He will provide for your needs. He does so without fanfare on His part, and with praise on your part.
He wants you to give and so He fills your cup to overflowing so you can give out of the surplus He provides you. We often think we just must have that extra something, but do we? Do we need that fourteenth extra outfit? Do we need that new gadget that will sit in the closet in two weeks never again to see the light of day? Do we need the latest, fastest, shiniest, best? Maybe we need to figure out the difference between need and want in our materialistic culture and begin to give out of our abundance. May it’s time to share quietly from the things that tie us down and consume our time and effort every day and release them to God for His use.
Let God talk to you about those things and quietly let them go. Quietly let Him find the right place for the wants in your life and figure out the difference between your needs and your wants. God doesn’t intend for you to live in misery, but neither do you need to live in the lap of luxury when there are those around you starving and without hope. Can you feed the world? No. But you might be able to help a hungry youngster in your neighborhood that doesn’t know when she will eat next. You might be able to help a widow on a fixed income with medicine she can’t afford or a disabled vet who needs a ride to a medical appointment.
How can you give without fanfare? Without acknowledgement? Without even expecting a word of thanks? Just give knowing your heavenly Father keeps record of everything you do. Do your good works get you into heaven? No. Only faith in Jesus does that, but once there, our heavenly Father rewards us for the good works we have done. Jesus says so in His word. Be generous in your giving. But be quiet about it, too.
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