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: DIFFERENT REWARDS
Did you notice Jesus’ words about different rewards in the Bible passage? When we do good deeds to be seen and praised by others we get one kind of reward. This reward is that we are seen and praised by others. This is what we wanted and this is what we receive. When we do good deeds in secret, our Father who is also in secret, rewards us. While Jesus does not specify exactly what this reward is, we do discover what it is in our own experience. At the very least, we come to know God better and experience the joy of being God’s friend and partner in doing good. God’s reward, we learn, is truly out of this world!
DAILY PRACTICE:
Pray the daily prayer request. With God reflect on what happened as you carried out your plan of serving someone without talking about it. How did you feel doing it? How did the other person respond? What was your experience of God in this experiment of secret service? Share your thoughts and feelings with the Lord and listen to what the Lord may be saying to you. Plan another small action of secret service for the next twelve hours.