Daily Devotional For Sunday, October 6, 2024

It’s Sunday. Our Savior’s Day for us to collectively come together and worship Him. It is my prayer that you believe Jesus is worth praising, worshiping and learning from His Word, the Bible. There are many people who call themselves “Christians” who do not not. They live as if a decision they made years ago is enough to get them into heaven. Jesus warned us about such an attitude and the dangers we will experience if we do. 

We are making our way through Jesus’ powerful and convicting Sermon On The Mount found in Matthew chapters 5, 6, & 7. Currently, we have finished chapter 5 and we are currently in chapter 6. Specifically Matthew 6:3-4, “But when you give to the poor, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, (4) so that your giving will be in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you” (NASB).

In Jesus’ day the right hand was considered literally the right hand to use for action, not the left hand. The right hand was considered the primary hand for daily tasks, and in a normal day’s work the right hand would do many things as a matter of course that would not involve the left hand. Giving to help those in need should be a normal activity of the Christian, and he or she should do it as simply, directly, and discreetly as possible. Some scholars think Jesus took a first century proverb about the right hand and used it as a point of connection to the Jews of His day.

The point Jesus is making is that our giving should be done in secret. The best giving according to Jesus is one that gives to meet a need, without anyone knowing, and then forgets about it, whether the person whose need we met expresses gratitude or not. It is to be such a secret that your left hand is in the dark so to speak so that only the right hand knows. 

Look at what  New Testament scholar and Jewish convert Alfred Edersheim writes:

“It is said that there was a special, out-of-the-way place in the Temple where shy, humble Jews could leave their gifts without being noticed. Another place nearby was provided for the shy poor, who did not want to be seen asking for help. Here they would come and take what they needed. The name of the place was the Chamber of the Silent. People gave and people were helped, but no one knew the identities of either group” (Source: Al;fred Edersheim, The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah, vol. 2, p. 387).

Let us not have a wrong understanding or misinterpret Jesus’ words here, not all good works can be done in secret and nor should all giving be secretive.  Look at the following verses:

• Psalm 106:3, “How blessed are those who keep justice, who practice righteousness at all times!” (NASB).
• Isaiah 58:2, ““Yet they seek Me day by day and delight to know My ways, As a nation that has done righteousness, And has not forsaken the ordinance of their God. They ask Me for just decisions, They delight in the nearness of God” (NASB).
• 1 John 2:29, “ If you know that He is righteous, you know that everyone also who practices righteousness is born of Him” (NASB).
• Matthew 5:16, Jesus Himself said, “Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven” (NASB). This is the type of prayer where God is pleased. 

But if they are done to be noticed by men (6:1), they are done self-righteously and hypocritically and are rejected by God. The difference is in purpose and motivation. When what we do is done in the right spirit and for the right purpose, it will almost inevitably be done in the right way. Some think there is conflict between Matthew 6:3 and Matthew 5:16 but there is no conflict at all. Why? Each one relates to its own specific sin. In Matthew 5:16, Jesus is dealing with the sin of cowardice and in Matthew 6:3, Jesus is dealing with hypocrisy. A. B. Bruce gives the helpful explanation, “We are to show when tempted to hide and hide when tempted to show.”

We live in a time when needs are great and many. We get asked to give and help in so many ways. God HImself does not need anything from us because He is totally sufficient in Himself. There are others who need our help. Giving in Scripture is described as a blessing. See:

• Proverbs 11:25. The generous man will be prosperous, And he who waters will himself be watered” (NASB).
• Deuteronomy 16:10, “Then you shall celebrate the Feast of Weeks to the Lord your God with a tribute of a freewill offering of your hand, which you shall give just as the Lord your God blesses you” (NASB).
• 2 Corinthians 9:6-7, “Now this I say, he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. (7) Each one must do just as he has purposed in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver” (NASB).

God does love a cheerful giver but He will also accept from a grouch! Giving here applies to any kind or type of giving: your money, your time, your energy, your resources, your abilities, talents, and skills, etc. At no time is your right hand to let the left hand know of this. Pastor and author John MacArthur gives 7 biblical principles here on Matthew 6:3-4 and giving. These are listed below.(Source: John MacArthur, The MacArthur New Testament Commentary, “Matthew,” pp. 358-359).

1. First, giving from the heart is investing with God. Look at Luke 6:38, “Give, and it will be given to you. They will pour into your lap a good measure—pressed down, shaken together, and running over. For by your standard of measure it will be measured to you in return” (NASB). Look at 2 Corinthians 9:6, “Now this I say, he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully” (NASB).
2. Second, genuine giving is to be sacrificial. We see this in King David. Take a look at    2 Samuel 24:24, “However, the king said to Araunah, “No, but I will surely buy it from you for a price, for I will not offer burnt offerings to the Lord my God which cost me nothing.” So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver. Generosity is not measured by the size of the gift itself, but by its size in comparison to what is possessed. Consider the widow who gave all she had to the Temple in Mark 12:41-44, “And He sat down opposite the treasury, and began observing how the people were putting money into the treasury; and many rich people were putting in large sums. (42) A poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which amount to a cent. (43) Calling His disciples to Him, He said to them, “Truly I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all the contributors to the treasury; (44) for they all put in out of their surplus, but she, out of her poverty, put in all she owned, all she had to live on” (NASB).
3. Third, responsibility for giving has no relationship to how much a person has. A person who is not generous when he is poor will not be generous if he becomes rich. He might then give a larger amount, but he will not give a larger proportion. Look at Luke 16:10, “He who is faithful in a very little thing is faithful also in much; and he who is unrighteous in a very little thing is unrighteous also in much” (NASB). It is extremely important to teach children to give generously to the Lord with whatever small amounts of money they get, because the attitudes and patterns they develop as children are likely to be the ones they follow when they are grown. Giving is not a matter of how much money one has but of how much one gives out of love for God.
4. Fourth, material giving correlates to spiritual blessings. To those who are not faithful with mundane things such as money and other possessions, the Lord will not entrust things that are of far greater value. Look at Luke 16:11-12, “Therefore if you have not been faithful in the use of unrighteous wealth, who will entrust the true riches to you? (12) And if you have not been faithful in the use of that which is another’s, who will give you that which is your own?” (NASB). Many young men have dropped out of seminary because they could not handle money, and the Lord did not want them in His ministry. Others have begun in the ministry but later dropped out for the same reason. Still others remain in the ministry but produce little fruit because God will not commit the care of eternal souls to them when they cannot even manage their own finances. Spiritual influences and effectiveness have a lot to do with how well finances are handled.
5. Fifth, giving is to be personally determined. Look at 2 Corinthians 9:7, “Each one must do just as he has purposed in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver” (NASB). 
1. Righteous giving is done from a righteous and generous heart, not from legalistic percentages or quotas. The Macedonian Christians gave abundantly out of their deep financial poverty because spiritually they were rich in love. Look at 2 Corinthians 8:1-2, “Now, brethren, we wish to make known to you the grace of God which has been given in the churches of Macedonia, (2) that in a great ordeal of affliction their abundance of joy and their deep poverty overflowed in the wealth of their liberality” (NASB). 
2. The church at Philippi gave generously also. Look at Philippians 4:15-18, “You yourselves also know, Philippians, that at the first preaching of the gospel, after I left Macedonia, no church shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving but you alone; (16) for even in Thessalonica you sent a gift more than once for my needs. (17) Not that I seek the gift itself, but I seek for the profit which increases to your account. (18) But I have received everything in full and have an abundance; I am amply supplied, having received from Epaphroditus what you have sent, a fragrant aroma, an acceptable sacrifice, well-pleasing to God” (NASB).
6.  Sixth, we are to give in response to need. 
1. The early Christians in Jerusalem shared their resources without reservation. Many of their fellow believers had become destitute when they trusted in Christ and were ostracized from their families and lost employment because of their faith. Years later Paul collected money from the Galatian churches to help meet the great needs that continued to exist among the saints in Jerusalem and that had been intensified by famine.
2. There have always been charlatans who manufacture needs and play on the sympathy of others. And there have always been professional beggars, who are able to work but would rather not. A Christian has no responsibility to support such people and should take reasonable care to determine if and when real need exists before giving his/her money. Look at 2 Thessalonians 3:10, “For even when we were with you, we used to give you this order: if anyone is not willing to work, Encouraging indolence weakens the character of the one who is indolent and also wastes the Lord’s money. But where real need does exist, our obligation to help meet it also exists.
7. Seventh, giving demonstrates love, not law. 
1. The New Testament contains no commands for specified amounts or percentages of giving. The percentage we give will be determined by the love of our own hearts and the needs of others.
2. All of the previous principles point to the obligation to give generously because we are investing in God’s work, because we are willing to sacrifice for Him who sacrificed Himself for us, because it has no bearing on how much we have, because we want spiritual riches more than financial riches, because we have personally determined to give, because we want to meet as much need as we can, and because our love compels us to give.

If we could summarize these seven points, it would be, in terms of righteousness, it always involved the intent of our heart. Public self-righteousness is to be rejected, but our righteousness is to be displayed in the spirit of humility, agape love and sincerity. Why? Ephesians 2:10, “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them” (NASB).

When it comes to righteousness, we need look no further than Jesus Christ. He is our Ultimate Model and Example. Though He did everything in the public light, He always brought attention or gave glory to God the Father. See:

•  John 5:30, ““I can do nothing on My own initiative. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is just, because I do not seek My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me” (NASB).
• John 4:34, “Jesus said to them,`“My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me and to accomplish His work’” (NASB).
• John 6:38, “For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me” (NASB).
• John 8:49-50, “Jesus answered, “I do not have a demon; but I honor My Father, and you dishonor Me. (50) But I do not seek My glory; there is One who seeks and judges” (NASB).

When we give in any way in secret, our heavenly Father sees and He will reward and repay us. Our purpose should be to meet every need we are able to meet and leave the bookkeeping to God. Consider Luke 17:10, “So you too, when you do all the things which are commanded you, say, ‘We are unworthy slaves; we have done only that which we ought to have done’” (NASB). God misses nothing. That is the point of Hebrews 4:13, “And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do” (NASB). 

We do not give for the rewards, but we give because we love the Lord with all our heart, soul, mind and strength. We give for the sole reason to please Jesus Christ and to bring Him glory and honor. What Revelation 4:10-11 says should reflect our lives also: “ The twenty-four elders will fall down before Him who sits on the throne, and will worship Him who lives forever and ever, and will cast their crowns before the throne, saying, (11) “Worthy are You, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and because of Your will they existed, and were created” (NASB).

New Testament scholar Bruce B. Barton writes this:

“The word for “reward” used here is different from the word used in 6:2, for the reward is very different” (Source: Bruce B. Barton, The Life Application Bible Commentary, “Matthew,” p. 111). 

Is the Greek New Testament word [ἀποδίδωμι, apodidomi]. In Matthew 6:2, for the word “reward” Jesus used the Greek New Testament word  μισθός, misthos]. This word referred to the exact pay one would receive for the work they did. No bonus. No extra. “Apodidomi” refers to pay as well, but it also was used to refer to “authenticating something as beyond and above, to bear fruit, to keep one’s word or oath and to bring forth or yield.” As you can tell, two different words for “reward” with two different meanings and outcomes. 

Former British atheist and Christian apologist C.S. Lewis writes this about Matthew 6:3-4:

“We must not be troubled by unbelievers when they say that this promise of reward makes the Christian life a mercenary affair. There are different kinds of rewards. There is the reward which has no natural connection with the things you do to earn it, and is quite foreign to the desires that ought to accompany those things. Money is not the natural reward of love; that is why we call a man a mercenary if he marries a woman for the sake of her money. But marriage is the proper reward for a real lover, and he is not mercenary for desiring it.… The proper rewards are not simply tacked on to the activity for which they are given, but are the activity itself in consummation” (Source: C. S. Lewis, The Weight of Glory and Other Addresses, p. 2).

New Testament scholar Leroy Lawson writes this:

“What makes our giving (i.e., money, time, service, etc) so dangerous is that it makes us look successful and appear to be good Christians. You want people to see you. They see you. Period. That’s the end of it. You have received what you wanted. Sadly, you have not wanted enough. Three times Jesus says, “They have received their reward in full” (verses 2, 5, 16). They wanted attention, they got attention. They have been paid in full. Nothing else is coming to them” (Source: Leroy Lawson, Matthew: Unlocking The Scriptures For You, pp. 83-84).

All of this goes back to our previous devotionals on Matthew 6:1-2, where Jesus used the word hypocrite. In Matthew 6:2, Jesus warned us about “sounding a trumpet” when we do something good for God or someone else. Our culture phrase “blow your own horn” or “toot your own horn” comes from and is based on Jesus’ words in Matthew 6:2. Hypocrisy is one of the main criticisms non-Christian people have about us Christian people. In fact, one author, British journalist Christopher Hitchens has written a whole book about this. I close with a couple excerpts from his book:

“SADDAM HUSSEIN was a very religious man, or so it seems. During his twenty-four years of dictatorship in Iraq, he brought about many religious “advances.” He built, for example, the largest mosque in the region, which supposedly contained a copy of the Quran written in his own blood. During his reign, he also added an inscription in his own hand on the Iraqi flag: Allahu Akbar (“God is Great”)-- (Source: Christopher Hitchens, God Is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything, pp. 25-26).

His hatred for religion comes from his intellectual convictions (he is an atheist, Darwinist, and materialist) but also from his experience as a journalist in which he saw firsthand so much religious hypocrisy. For example, he writes about his visit to Iran, which like Iraq is an Islamic nation and thus stringently upholds the teachings of the Quran. 

Therefore, premarital intercourse and prostitution are outlawed. However, what happens is that the mullahs (the Islamic religious leaders) profit monetarily by licensing something they call “temporary marriages.” That is, a man comes to the mullah, often in a specially designated house, and receives a temporary marriage license to be the temporary husband of a girl he has never met. Then he can have a temporary union with her and just a few minutes later conveniently and lawfully receive a permanent divorce declaration. Some might call this legalized prostitution. Hitchens writes about how he  was offered “such a bargain,” of all places, outside the shrine to the Ayatollah Khomeini in south Tehran” (Source: Christopher Hitchens, God Is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything, pp. 25-26).

Questions To Consider

1. When you give to any cause, do you ever let other people know what you did or even how much you did to meet that need? Based on what Jesus says in Matthew 6:3-4, what should you do and why?
2. Preachers say, “You can’t out give God” as a way to get people to tithe and give. While the statement is true, do you give your time, energy, money, abilities, skills, and talents for rewards from God? Why should we give and what “reward” should be enough for giving and why? In other words, what should be the real “reward” for you? Why?
3. Jesus used two different words for “reward.” Read each of these words and their explanations. When we hear or read the word “reward,” immediately our mind has some idea or concept about what that means. Based on these two totally different words used by Jesus, what idea or concept do you have now and why?
4. Read again the seven biblical principles above from John MacArthur. Which of these need to apply to your own life and why?
5. You read the two excerpts from Christopher Hitchens’ book. Is he right? If not, what would you say to him to help him see Christianity differently?

Scripture To Meditate On: Mark 7:6, “Jesus replied, `You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you, for he wrote, ‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me’” (NLT).

Prayer To Pray: “Dear Jesus, please help me to give in secret expecting that the best reward is knowing I am obedient to You. You give to me every day all day. Please help me to be more like You – a giver, not a taker. I do not want my hypocrisy to cause anyone to walk away from You. I love You Jesus. In Jesus’ name, Amen!”

I love you Southside!--Pastor Kelly