How do you “let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:16) and yet “take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them” (Matthew 6:1)? I was asked this question by an older woman, a long-time Christian, and I think that the query is a good fit with this study, so let’s dig in for the answer.
Both of these commands were given by Jesus,
they were both part of the lesson He taught His disciples on the mountainside (Matthew 5:1). We know Jesus speaks the
words of the Father (John 12:49) and
with God there is no contradiction nor error (Psalm 12:6, 19:7-11; 119:140, 160). So what is the answer?
I believe that it comes down to our heart’s
motivation – are we serving God or are we
serving ourselves?
God called us (by the gospel, 2 Thessalonians 2:13-14) out of darkness into His
marvelous light (1 Peter 2:9). We
walk in the light of the Lord as “children of light,” finding out what
is acceptable to the Lord (Ephesians
5:8-14). We find out what is acceptable to God as we learn His will and way
(reading and study) and “by
reason of use” (application,
being a hearer AND a doer, James 1:21-25) our senses are trained to discern
both good and evil (Hebrews 5:12-14).
Jesus tells us that we do not light a lamp and then cover it with a box; we
light a lamp so “that those who come in may see the light” (Luke 11:33-36). We do not hide it away
in selfishness or shame (Galatians 2:20);
we let it benefit others who need it (consider
John 3:19-21) – we are lights along the narrow path that leads to our
heavenly home – we do good to promote God and His way to the world lost in
darkness.
When we shine in God’s marvelous light,
avoiding evil and doing what is good and right on a daily basis, inevitably our
light will be seen by others. Now we
may or may not ever know of the positive impact of our good works, meaning we
may not be approached by others who say, “I
saw that,” “That was a good thing you
did,” or ”I thank God for you” because we simply see opportunities to help
and we do them. We are not respecters of persons or places (whether stranger, friend, or enemy, Matthew
5:43-48, 25:34-46), we do good for God’s sake, knowing the blessings He has
granted us are above and beyond anything we could ever hope for, knowing that
He has blessed us with the resources to give cheerfully of ourselves and/or our
means (2 Corinthians 9:7-11), and
that all that He gives is in such abundance that we cannot help but share it (consider 2 Corinthians 1:3-4). Our good
works are a love letter of gratitude to God for all that He has blessed us
with; it speaks volumes of our trust in His promised provision, and proves to
both our own selves and others that His will and way is good and acceptable and
perfect (Romans 12:2)!
It is when we make good works or ‘charitable deeds’ about us, promoting ourselves to the world – “Look at me! I’m doing a good work!” “This
will look great on my resume!” “You’re taking a photo for the paper? Oh, yes,
let me get in the front row. Oh, and my name? Yes, it’s C, A, T…..” That is
where the problem lies. Pomp, ceremony, spotlights. The need to be seen so that others look at us with awe, and maybe even
reverence, for our ‘Christian-ness.’
Do you serve God or
yourself?
Jesus says to do your good works “in
secret” (Matthew 6:3-4), with
a sincere wish that God will receive the glory for the good you are able to do.
Quietly do good to show appreciation and thanksgiving for God’s benefits (Psalm 68:19). And if you do receive
praise from someone who happened to see your good deeds, give God the glory;
tell them that it is because of His
blessings that you were able to help, because of His instruction your eyes were
open to the need.
You can do it! So can
I!!
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