1“Be careful that you don’t do your charitable giving before men, to be seen by them, or else you have no reward from your Father who is in heaven. 2Therefore, when you do merciful deeds, don’t sound a trumpet before yourself, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may get glory from men. Most certainly I tell you, they have received their reward. 3But when you do merciful deeds, don’t let your left hand know what your right hand does, 4so that your merciful deeds may be in secret, then your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.
5“When you pray, you shall not be as the hypocrites, for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Most certainly, I tell you, they have received their reward. 6But you, when you pray, enter into your inner room, and having shut your door, pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly. 7In praying, don’t use vain repetitions as the Gentiles do; for they think that they will be heard for their much speaking. 8Therefore don’t be like them, for your Father knows what things you need before you ask him. 9Pray like this:
“‘Our Father in heaven, may your name be kept holy.
10Let your Kingdom come.
Let your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
11Give us today our daily bread.
12Forgive us our debts,
as we also forgive our debtors.
13Bring us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one.
For yours is the Kingdom, the power, and the glory forever. Amen.’
14“For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15But if you don’t forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
16“Moreover when you fast, don’t be like the hypocrites, with sad faces. For they disfigure their faces that they may be seen by men to be fasting. Most certainly I tell you, they have received their reward. 17But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, 18so that you are not seen by men to be fasting, but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father, who sees in secret, will reward you.
19“Don’t lay up treasures for yourselves on the earth, where moth and rust consume, and where thieves break through and steal; 20but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consume, and where thieves don’t break through and steal; 21for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
22“The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is sound, your whole body will be full of light. 23But if your eye is evil, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!
24“No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You can’t serve both God and Mammon. 25Therefore I tell you, don’t be anxious for your life: what you will eat, or what you will drink; nor yet for your body, what you will wear. Isn’t life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26See the birds of the sky, that they don’t sow, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns. Your heavenly Father feeds them. Aren’t you of much more value than they?
27“Which of you by being anxious, can add one moment to his lifespan? 28Why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow. They don’t toil, neither do they spin, 29yet I tell you that even Solomon in all his glory was not dressed like one of these. 30But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today exists and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, won’t he much more clothe you, you of little faith?
31“Therefore don’t be anxious, saying, ‘What will we eat?’, ‘What will we drink?’ or, ‘With what will we be clothed?’ 32For the Gentiles seek after all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33But seek first God’s Kingdom and his righteousness; and all these things will be given to you as well. 34Therefore don’t be anxious for tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Each day’s own evil is sufficient.
Giving in Secret
6 “Be careful that you don’t do your charitable givingbefore men, to be seen by them, or else you have no reward from your Father who is in heaven.2 Therefore, when you do merciful deeds, don’t sound a trumpet before yourself, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may get glory from men. Most certainly I tell you, they have received their reward.3 But when you do merciful deeds, don’t let your left hand know what your right hand does,4 so that your merciful deeds may be in secret, then your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.
Jesus cautions each of us to be very careful when we do acts that He directs us to do on His behalf. It is easy to move from being joyful in serving the Master to being interested in self, in who gets the credit, and in seeking to have others marvel at the wonderful godly things that we do. Be careful of self. Self always wants to step in and get the credit. Self wants the attention. Self wants to be in the limelight. You can do all of the right things, but Jesus is telling us that if our motive is the least bit on self, our deeds will have NO REWARD in heaven. They become wasted acts of self with no eternal benefit. They are “wood, hay, and stubble."
Charitable giving can take many forms. You will have infinite opportunities throughout life to share your time, talents, and treasure. That’s giving. In Hebrew, love is associated with giving, but it must be the right kind of giving. It is selfless giving. Real love is not about the lover, but the other. The person being loved is the object of the gift. That’s why Jesus tells us that it is more blessed to give than to receive. In giving, we are blessed with the opportunity to be the giver. Why does Jesus go to great lengths to caution us not to “sound the trumpet” while we’re participating in the act of giving? Why does He tell us not seek glory in our giving? He warns us about these things because doing so involves “transactional” giving. That is not God giving. That is giving to get the praise and acknowledgment of others. It is giving to get.
Let your giving be done out of your love for God with all of your heart, soul, and strength. Let your giving be done out of love for your neighbor as yourself. We should be so unimpressed with our giving that our “right hand doesn’t know what our left hand is doing.” That means don’t get too impressed with your giving. All that you are able to give comes from the Lord anyway. I once heard someone say that as believers, “we should give till it hurts.” I don’t think that’s exactly right. I think perhaps “we should give until it surprises even us.” We each have been given so much, and it all comes from the hand of God. If you're selfish in your giving, ask God to move you to a new level. Keep this between you and Him. Let your deeds be done in secret as much as you are able to do. It truly is more blessed to give than receive, especially when you’re giving in the right kind of way.