Giving Freely

Giving Freely “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.” Matthew 6:3-4 During this past ten years I have been amazed at the lack of commitment that our church community has shown to provide for the needy in our community. I have visited the majority of the churches in our area speaking to their congregations about the need in our area and the number of people who are going hungry. The majority of these churches have not responded to this need, and have not participated in any way. Many of the churches that have responded have done so with the idea of getting publicity for their churches, and unless there has been a way to get their name in the public eye they have not contributed. The scripture above tells us how Jesus views our giving to the needy, as it needs to be done in private and not with the thought of bringing attention to ourselves. I know that my wife and I have provided help to the needy throughout the years, always keeping our giving between the person we are helping and ourselves, as God tells us to do. There was a wealthy gentleman in our area several years ago who would give large sums of money to worthwhile causes, but always insisted on the building being named after him or his name displayed in a public place. His sole purpose was to let others know that he gave and to get public recognition for his gift. I believe that giving in this manner did nothing to bring him any reward in the sight of God, as he was doing it not with the idea of helping others, but to gain glory for himself in the eyes of others. God wants each of us to give freely, as He has provided our needs and wants us to then give freely of our excess. My Daily Devotional Volume III July 7 Robert William Brock, Jr.