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“Be careful not to do your ‘acts of righteousness’ before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.“ (Matt 6:1 NIV84) [see these verses in their context below]
All of us like to be acknowledged for doing good. At least, we prefer being recognized when doing good things rather than for bad things.
Perhaps this can be traced back to our upbringing and being told to be good and when we were called out for doing something wrong.
When my wife and I were foster parents, we cared for children whose sense of right and wrong was not well-developed. “Right” was when a person got away with doing something bad and “wrong” was when you were caught for it.
Still, when these same children were acknowledged for doing something good or well, they beamed with a sense of pride and happiness. It made them feel good.
The need for acceptance and approval isn’t just a learned behavior but a basic need. Many psychologists have realized this and the Scriptures reveal this in many places.
But the source of our acceptance and approval determines its greater value to us.
If we look to others for acceptance and approval—parents, friends, spouses or significant others, or even Instagram followers—the glow of their praise will fade over time, probably sooner than we’d expect or like.
When God is the basis and source of our sense of acceptance and approval, it goes deep into our heart of hearts and lasts beyond the moment.
Insights to consider
Religious righteousness feeds off the acknowledgment and praise of others. Regardless of what form it takes, it can be seen by how it exalts a person to a place of superiority towards others in some way.
Some forms of religious righteousness are more subtle than others, such as what someone does or does not do, or what they wear or refuse to wear. Subtle forms of religious righteousness are still visible or noticeable, either by appearance or made known in some other way.
A common way this is seen and done today is via social media. We let others know what we are for or against but often as a statement that puts down others and their views.
Any form of religious righteousness is just our own self-righteousness—a sense of rightness or goodness of our own design. We do this whenever we set ourselves apart from others so people take notice of us. It’s based on our motivation—why we do what we do.
The more subtle ways we seek the acceptance and approval of others are often unrealized by ourselves and others. In fact, they may not be wrong things in and of themselves. But they are self-focused no matter how noble and altruistic they appear.
But when our motive is to seek attention, adoration, or praise, we cross a line. A line that is obvious to many, at times even to ourselves. Perhaps this is epitomized today with all the “selfies” that flood social media. All selfies are not the same but they do seem to shout—hey, look at me!
When we do good so others will take notice, we seek a shallow and short-lived reward. This is what Jesus addresses here because it’s a pretense of religious righteousness. It’s a form of self-promotion God will not endorse as true righteousness nor true religion.
True Religion
The word religion often gets a bad rap. But this usually stems from attitudes towards institutional religion and its tendency towards both exclusion and inclusion based on certain beliefs.
But when the word religion is used in the Bible (James 1:26-27), it’s used to express the idea of piety—a spiritual devotion, worship, and respect for God.
In the first half of Matthew 6, Jesus clarifies what true religion looks like in contrast to the examples of the Pharisees and other Jewish sects. Jesus saw their form of religion as pretentious and self-serving. It didn’t honor God nor did it do anyone much good.
Jesus warns against doing “acts of righteousness” as a show for others to see. He calls these religious show-offs hypocrites. They play the part but it’s not their true heart. The only glory or honor they’ll get is empty.
When people toot their own horn or have others do it for them, they receive no endorsement or reward from God. It’s a shallow, pretentious, and short-lived religious sham.
Jesus encourages giving to the needy but to do it secretly. This is what He means by not letting “your left hand know what your right hand is doing.”
The key point is not to be a religious show-off. Our giving doesn’t need to be top-secret, although some people take this as an admonition to always give anonymously. If that’s your conviction, fine, but Jesus uses this figurative language to make His point.
When you want to give to those in need and honor God, you are to do so without fanfare and self-promotion. It’s really that simple.
And here’s the good news, when we give to others for their benefit and as an expression of our devotion to God, He will honor and reward it. How? Jesus doesn’t say but I’m pretty sure there aren’t any awards charts in heaven.
Caring for others and giving to those in need ought to be the natural outflow of our devotion and worship of God. Yes, this can include giving at church or to support missionaries but our giving ought to go beyond just giving our 10% as an obligatory offering.
True religion reveals our true character and motives, as well as the nature of our personal relationship with the Lord. He honors this kind of giving because it’s done in faith—our trust in God (Heb 11:6).
How do you give to those in need or do you at all?
Reflection—
True religion reveals our true character and motives, as well as the nature of our personal relationship with the Lord. God will honor giving that isn’t done to impress others or make us feel more righteous. The Lord is interested in the motive of our hearts more than how much we give.
Prayer Focus—
When you’re not sure about giving to those in need whoever they may be, ask the Lord for guidance. He promises to reward giving when it’s done without self-promotion, so ask the Lord to help you give freely and with a humble heart.
Devo Scripture Text
“Be careful not to do your ‘acts of righteousness’ before men, 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 men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. 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.”
“And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.”
“This, then, is how you should pray: ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.’”
“For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.”
“When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show men they are fasting. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full.
But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that it will not be obvious to men that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.”
(Matthew 6:1-18 NIV84)