Hey everybody! Thank you for joining me in daily Bible reading as we seek to glorify Jesus, know Him more, and interpret the truth of His Word.
If this is your first time going through the Bible, I am incredibly excited to have you here. If this is your 5000th time, I am humbled that you are here and hope you grow in your relationship with Jesus along with me. May we all seek to know Him more and apply what we learn to further our mission of spreading the gospel. If you missed a day and want to catch up, you can visit the archives page HERE! But there is no shame if you start today! Today, we continue Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount! Day 51, Matthew 6:3-4 — The Sermon on the Mount Matthew 6:3-4 (NASB1995) “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.” Discussion The principal theme of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount is our actions and attitudes. It is not our works that make us righteous in God’s sight, but our heart's posture toward Him. God looks beyond our outward appearance and actions and judges our heart and attitudes. The Pharisees esteemed their self-righteousness as good in God’s sight but failed in their works because their hearts were far from Him. Jesus rebuked and corrected their way of thinking, providing insight into how God judges one’s works. It is our motivation that God sees, not just what we do. Jesus has been teaching about the dangers of works motivated by the acclaim of men (6:1) and rebuking those who make a grandiose event of their works (6:2). The Pharisees were self-righteous, taking pride in their outward appearance and actions. They sought the applause of man for their ‘good’ deeds and righteous-looking character, which was hypocritical. We have briefly discussed the hypocritical ways the Pharisees were providing for the poor, as their good works came not from the purity of their heart, but to receive the praise of man. They made a spectacle of their good deeds so others would see them as righteous, which was hypocritical because they were far from righteous in God’s sight. Today, Jesus provides an example of how to avoid being a hypocrite. “But when you give to the poor, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing.” Jesus is showing that our good deeds should come from a place of complete humility with no regard for ourselves—or even the thought of acknowledgment. This idea of not letting your left hand know what the right is doing is extremely radical in this context. Scholars agree we must avoid the display of works and avoid dwelling on the thoughts of our deeds, as it leads to spiritual pride. Disregarding acknowledgment is a hard practice, as our human nature gravitates toward carnal recognition. Most times, a spiritually prideful person will not realize they are boasting about their works. It is a spiritual conviction from the Holy Spirit who humbles us and we find our heavenly reward in this posture of humility. Why must we not dwell on our good deeds? Jesus continues, “So that your giving will be in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.” Jesus’ example is almsgiving to the poor. As we live in a world divided by socioeconomic classes, this giving transcends time. The Pharisees gave to the poor, but deliberately drew attention to themselves so others would see their ‘good works.’ Jesus rebukes this action; instead teaching His disciples to give in secret with nobody knowing. By teaching us to avoid allowing our hands to know what the other is doing, Jesus goes beyond the idea of motivation and outward praise. It should be in complete blindness that we give so that we do not even categorically think about giving as an act, but giving from the purity and integrity of our hearts made new in Him. It is in genuine love and compassion that we must give—a Christlike compassion that is only found in the Spirit of God within us. In doing so secretly, the LORD says He will reward us. He judges the sincerity of our hearts—our inward attitudes and outward actions. Jeremiah 17:10 states, “I, the LORD, search the heart, I test the mind, Even to give to each man according to his ways, According to the results of his deeds.” We continue the Sermon on the Mount tomorrow. Application Today’s application is a challenge. The hardest thing to give and sacrifice is our time. The next time you have the desire to give, do not question it. Just obey the leading of the Holy Spirit and be selfless in that moment. Drop what you are doing and sacrifice your time for others. Maybe you only have some change or a bottle of water at that moment, but the least you can give is your time. Get to know that person. Tell them about the good news of Jesus. I have had more genuine conversations with those in need than those who are not. It is in this place of compassion and complete humility that the Holy Spirit will work through us most. My prayer today is to have more opportunities to have compassion for others and to squash the pride of time—to be more selfless and sacrifice my time for those in need. To listen. To help. To share Jesus. May we praise, worship, honor, and glorify Jesus every day in all that we do while continually pursuing righteousness, holiness, and forgiveness as He forgave us. Looking Ahead Thank you for joining today’s daily Bible reading! Tomorrow, we read Matthew 6:5-6. I hope you join me! I have made commenting available, so please feel free to discuss the reading and ask questions. If you do not want to discuss publicly, you can reach out to me privately. We are on this journey together.
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