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Giving in secret

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Written by Andrée Seu

May 30, 8:00 AM

“When you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you….so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you” (Matthew 6:2,4).

We are all junkies for approval. Our heavenly Father knows that and (Praise God!) he does not discourage this craving but encourages it in a positive direction. Matthew 6 is a wonderful revelation which, if taken to heart, gives the sinner like me power to do good in secret without any particular heroism being exercised.

Doing good things to be seen by others and to win their approval is a tough case. But God does not ask me to give it up. He merely asks me to make a substitution: Do it to win his approval (John 5:44). This is cool. This is like the guy who walks into a saloon and buys drinks all around, and laughs off an insult, and smiles when someone at the bar spills beer on his new boots. “What’s gotten into him!” they whisper behind his back. “How come he’s not his usual ornery self?” But he has a secret: an hour ago he learned his Uncle LeRoy died and left him a million bucks. Who wouldn’t be generous-hearted?

The Apostle Paul couldn’t care less about other people’s approval (1 Corinthians 4:3). And he couldn’t care less about other people’s credentials (Galatians 2:6). “Stop regarding man in whose nostrils is breath. Of what account is he?” (Isaiah 2:22).

When you think about it, why do we waste our lives worrying about the opinion of people who aren’t even on the right wavelength?

Topic: Commentary, Faith & Inspiration

Keywords: charity, giving

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back to top13 Comments to “Giving in secret”

BY REG 05.30.08 AT 8:08 AM

“We are all junkies for approval.”
I doubt that was the point of the text quoted.

“Matthew 6 is a wonderful revelation which, if taken to heart, gives the sinner like me power to do good in secret without any particular heroism being exercised.”

If it does this for the sinner, what does it do for the saint? Or does it not apply to the saints?
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BY REG 05.30.08 AT 8:19 AM

1-
To follow up with the thought that the point of Matthew 6 is not to prove that we are ALL junkies for approval…why is it that the Psalms and Proverbs so clearly contrast the wicked and the righteous, but our undoing of the New Testament blurs them into one category?

In Matthew 6, Christ is once again showing the difference between the wicked and the righteous by spelling out wicked behavior and instructing his children how to avoid it.
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BY REG 05.30.08 AT 8:32 AM

1-
and really, the words “we all” must refer to the weaknesses of the flesh. So it would be accurate to say that the flesh wants approval from men.

But he flesh is not our identity. The spirit is our identity as God’s children
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BY Kim 05.30.08 AT 9:01 AM

I know two people who give in secret. One is a woman who has had the most influence over me in my life. She loves God and her church but when it comes to Christmas she turns into a child. Every year she finds someone she thinks needs it and sends them a $100 cashiers check from Santa Clause. Very few know she does this and her attitude is God knows he provided the money for her to do it and He doesn’t have to have the credit He is willing to share with Santa.
Another is a friend of mine’s father. He tithes to his church along with doing more whenever they need it. He goes to one of the more prominent churches in our community but whenever he hears of another smaller church needing something he does for them as well. I know of one small church that needed new windows. He was a builder, so he went to the supply store found out what they needed and had them delivered. No one ever knew but his wife and daughter and his daughter told me. He has done things like that for a long time.
Neither of these people go around saying look at me and what I did they just quietly do…
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BY adios 05.30.08 AT 9:28 AM

Reg,

It is also an act of the flesh and not of the spirit, to take another’s preponderance of the scripture and “correct” her until we all see the scripture one way–your way.
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BY mommy 05.30.08 AT 10:52 AM

Adios, You’re one up on me – I never even understand her posts.
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BY adios 05.30.08 AT 11:06 AM

Mommy,

A writer’s job is to make connections for people. And when you don’t it is your fault or your editor’s. Andree’s writing grows on you if you hand in there. I used to cratch my head at the end of her stuff too, but now I get it. AND I think she has improved as a writer, at making connections for us.
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BY mumsee 05.30.08 AT 11:06 AM

I often do things for others for the glory of God. And then slowly start thinking if maybe so and so happened to notice. And it grows unless I put a stop to it right then. Takes away the fun of helping when it is all about me, wonder why I keep slipping..
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BY mommy 05.30.08 AT 11:29 AM

Adios, I didn’t mean Andree – I meant REG.
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BY Pauline 05.30.08 AT 11:54 AM

This is one of those areas it’s hard to work on directly. I can choose not to let someone know I’ve done or given something. But it’s hard to get rid of the desire for approval. As Andree points out, it’s not the desire that’s wrong so much as for looking for approval in the wrong place.

I hated this Scripture passage as a teenager, when I first came to Christ. All I cared about back then was what other people thought of me. I knew no other way to be motivated than to please other people or to avoid displeasing them. I couldn’t imagine being able to be satisfied with only God’s approval.

Over the years that has gradually changed. I don’t know how much it has to do with my growing relationship with God, and how much with simply getting older – you just don’t worry as much about what other people think of you as when you were younger.

Now, when I do not get credit for something I have done, instead of being hurt or upset, and instead of trying to find a subtle way to let someone know what I did, I can be grateful because it enables me to live out this Scripture passage. But that’s the result of my whole outlook changing, not from consciously trying to apply this Scripture.
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BY adios 05.30.08 AT 12:53 PM

Mommy,

Oops, my bad;) Yes, Reg can be quite esoteric in her brevity many times.
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BY Victoria 05.30.08 AT 2:09 PM

It’s important to understand Matthew 6:1-4 – Boasting about what one does for others, or how much they give is not always understood by Believers.

“Our Lord next warned against hypocrisy and outward show in religious duties. What we do, must be done from an inward principle, that we may be approved of God, not that we may be praised of men. In these verses we are cautioned against hypocrisy in giving alms. Take heed of it. It is a subtle sin; and vain-glory creeps into what we do, before we are aware. But the duty is not the less necessary and excellent for being abused by hypocrites to serve their pride. The doom Christ passes, at first may seem a promise, but it is their reward; not the reward God promises to those who do good, but the reward hypocrites promise themselves, and a poor reward it is; they did it to be seen of men, and they are seen of men. When we take least notice of our good deeds ourselves, God takes most notice of them. He will reward thee; not as a master who gives his servant what he earns, and no more, but as a Father who gives abundantly to his son that serves him.”
Matthew Henry

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BY Karen O 05.30.08 AT 3:28 PM

Kim – Your friend sounds like a wonderful, loving woman.

I would disagree, however, with the thought that God “doesn’t have to have the credit”. I believe we are supposed to give glory to God, as much as is possible. Knowing that one was blessed by an unknown Christian, in the name of Christ, could lead someone to surrender to Him, or help a fellow believer develop greater faith & trust.

As I was typing this, I thought about the scripture about giving a cup of cold water in Jesus’ name.
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