Matthew 6:2-4
2 “Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 3 But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.”
With the rise of social media and the internet there are more famous people now than there has ever been before. There are people who are super famous but in a niche you’ve never heard of, so you can’t understand why they became a millionaire. Even if you’re not trying to get famous, getting ahead at work or life can feel like it requires you to do endless self-promotion. It feels like the people we see getting promoted are the ones who are constantly bragging.
This is what make the words of Jesus in Matthew 6 so challenging. If you do something big, or cool, or sacrificial then there is a part of you that wants everyone to know about it. However, we too often do it to bring glory to ourselves. You should do work that brings you pride. You should give to the needy but do it because you want to help the needy not because it will impress the people around you.
The only time you should tell others of your good works is when it might inspire them to join the effort of doing good. Working in the church I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve gotten to see good works done in secret. People of means who remain humble in their effort to support the ongoing work of the church. We are so thankful for their support and humility.
We can help people because it is the correct thing to do. And feel good that we have the privilege to offer help. With God’s approval, why do we need the world’s?