Matthew 6:1-4 | “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. “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. 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. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
DAILY PRAYER REQUEST: Lord, help me become more generous.
DAILY THOUGHT: SECRET GENEROSITY
In the weekly Bible reading Jesus instructs us that, when we give to those in need, “do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your alms may be done in secret” (verse 3). These words suggest that Jesus would like us to learn how to give to others without making a “big deal” about it. Rather, he wants to become people from whose hearts good deeds naturally flow. We don’t even remember ourselves. We do generous deeds because we are generous people. It would be hard for us to do otherwise. Does this describe you? Would you like to become this kind of person?
DAILY PRACTICE:
Pray the daily request prayer. In your quiet time today think of one act of secret service you can plan to do the next twelve hours. It may be to listen to a colleague, or to help your kids with their homework, or to take out the rubbish, or to bake a special dish for a neighbour, or to give an anonymous gift to someone you know who is struggling. The possibilities are endless. The key, however, is to serve without talking about it with anyone. It is likely that someone may see what you are doing and mention it. When this happens, you can simply respond, “It was just something I wanted to do.”