Best Kept Secret: Giving

BEST KEPT SECRET: That’s what we’re calling this series we’re in, as we explore three areas that Jesus drilled down on. We’ll see that according to Jesus, what matters MOST is not our religious performance in public, but our pursuit of holiness in private.

Matthew 6:1-4 (NLT)
“Watch out! Don’t do your good deeds publicly, to be admired by others, for you will lose the reward from your Father in heaven. When you give to someone in need, don’t do as the hypocrites do—blowing trumpets in the synagogues and streets to call attention to their acts of charity! I tell you the truth, they have received all the reward they will ever get. But when you give to someone in need, don’t let your left hand know what your right hand is doing. Give your gifts in private, and your Father, who sees everything, will reward you.“

Hypocrites – actors who wore a mask

Matthew 6:1-4 (MSG)
“Be especially careful when you are trying to be good so that you don’t make a performance out of it. It might be good theater, but the God who made you won’t be applauding. “When you do something for someone else, don’t call attention to yourself. You’ve seen them in action, I’m sure—‘playactors’ I call them—treating prayer meeting and street corner alike as a stage, acting compassionate as long as someone is watching, playing to the crowds. They get applause, true, but that’s all they get. When you help someone out, don’t think about how it looks. Just do it—quietly and unobtrusively. That is the way your God, who conceived you in love, working behind the scenes, helps you out.“

If you’re giving nothing, start giving something.
If you’re giving something, start giving something more.

Matthew 5:14-16 (NLT)
“You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.“

The right motive for giving is as an act of worship to honor God.

Make the private things more public, and the public things more private.

Rather than concern yourself with who knows about your giving, focus instead on who will be glorified by your living.

Extra Notes:

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