“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.”
Matthew 6:1-4
CONSIDER: The original Greek word for righteousness in this passage, or as some versions translate the “doing-what-is-right,” is one word in Greek, dikaiosune. This most precisely means living in the right relationship with God and others. When we practice spiritual disciplines such as prayer, fasting, and generosity, the heart behind it is more important to our souls than the output. What we do in action matters as it is the tangible result of our choice, but what matters more in ‘doing right’ is our heart condition as we do it. Our motives and ultimate intentions bring God glory and draw us into a deeper relationship with joy and humility or create distance between him and us and a hardened heart when we do it out of prideful motivation in pursuit of our self-centered reward. Give, pray, fast, and love others, but strive to do so out of humble acknowledgment of God’s ultimate provision and goodness and an earnest heart to honor Him. Ultimately, the true reward for all of us is a relationship with the living God granted us by the most radical generosity we did not deserve or earn.
REFLECT: What are my true motivations for doing good? Do I need to repent and ask God to change my heart?
PRAY:
Learn more about generosity and the true reward with the Bible Project:
Use these resources to help pray specifically each day.
As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy. They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, thus storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life.
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