Do Good for God’s Glory

    I would like you to consider today what may be a familiar passage to you, Matthew 6:1-4 (please open your bible to this passage, I’ll wait J).

    Take note of the warning in the first verse: “Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them. Otherwise you have no reward from your Father in heaven.” Jesus goes further in calling those who have this vainglorious heart “hypocrites” (v2) – because they were religious persons who behaved this way, both in the synagogues and in the streets; they did ‘good’ solely for men to see them, awe at them, and praise them for their falsely-motivated compassion.

    When we, as Christians, know that it is God who has created us in Christ Jesus for good works (Ephesians 2:10, consider Luke 17:10) and it is He who grants us the wherewithal to accomplish every good work (2 Corinthians 9:7-11) and it is He who commands us to keep doing good throughout our lifetime (Titus 2-3), and then we do our good works simply to get the “volunteer of the year” award, or to get our name and/or photo in the paper, or even just to hear from those around us, “You’re such a generous and caring person,” then we, too, are being hypocrites. We tell others to humbly obey God and joy in all that He provides, yet we, ourselves, chase after the temporal words and awards of men to motivate and bolster us. We, like the hypocrites in the 1^st century, have our reward: man’s fleeting praise.

    Don’t settle for that.

    Desiring man’s praise robs us of God’s praise. God will not praise us for the good we accomplish when our heart is motivated by self-promotion and vainglory; all we will receive is what man may (or may not) muster and that is a house built on shifting sand. But when we conduct ourselves daily with a God focused heart (giving Him thanks, praise, and glory for the blessings and abilities He has given that allow us to be a benefit to others) and quietly do our work “heartily as to the Lord, and not to men,” (Colossians 3:23), our Father will reward us: with more opportunities/responsibilities (Matthew 24:45-47; 25:21, 23, 29), with the reward of the inheritance (Colossians 3:24), with eternal life (Romans 2:6-7), with the crown of righteousness (2 Timothy 4:7-8), and with the crown of life (James 1:12), just to name a few!  

    Knowing this, let your charitable deeds and good works be done quietly and secretly, not livestreamed or posted/boasted about online. God, the perfect and righteous Judge, knows all that you have done, let that be enough. Praise God for His generous provision and thank Him for the opportunity to do some good for another and go on with your day. He will reward you (Matthew 6:4), and the reward from our glorious Father will be far above and beyond anything we could ever desire to receive from men.

“He has shown you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.” (Micah 6:8 NKJV)

    Seek glory for God, not for yourself. Desire praise from God, not from man.

You can do it! So can I!!