¹Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven. (Matthew 6:1-4)
The motive behind your gift is more important than the gift itself. Paul said if he gave all of his goods to feed the poor, or if he made the ultimate sacrifice of giving his own life for someone else, but it wasn’t motivated by love, then his gift would profit him nothing. (1 Cor. 13:3.)
Many Christians give faithfully, but never see the hundredfold return Jesus promised because their motives are wrong. (Mark 10:29,30.) Paul said God loves a cheerful giver—not one who gives grudgingly or out of obligation. (2 Cor. 9:7.)
Jesus gave us the key to purifying our motives in this same teaching. He said, “But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth” (Matt. 6:3). Giving in a manner in which you will not receive recognition for your gifts guarantees your motives are right and grants you the true joy that comes through selfless giving. (Acts 20:24.)
Ask the Lord to show you an opportunity today to give a kind word or a helping hand to someone who will not be able to repay you and where others will never know about it. This could be a motorist in a traffic jam, a co-worker, a spouse, a child who won’t even notice your kind deed, or any number of other people. You will find that when you look for them, these opportunities are all around you.
