Rewarded for Our Actions: Matthew 6:1-4

Focus Passage: Matthew 6:1-4 (GW)

“Be careful not to do your good works in public in order to attract attention. If you do, your Father in heaven will not reward you. So when you give to the poor, don’t announce it with trumpet fanfare. This is what hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets in order to be praised by people. I can guarantee this truth: That will be their only reward. When you give to the poor, don’t let your left hand know what your right hand is doing. Give your contributions privately. Your Father sees what you do in private. He will reward you.

Read Matthew 6:1-4 in context and/or in other translations on BibleGateway.com!

During Jesus’ “Sermon on the Mount”, He shares a few statements regarding how we should display our generosity and help towards others. In many ways, Jesus lived out this teaching in how He ministered, taught, and helped those around Him who were in need, but here, earlier in His ministry, Jesus shares some interesting words that describe how we should give without being hypocritical givers.

In His sermon, Jesus instructs those listening, “So when you give to the poor, don’t announce it with trumpet fanfare. This is what hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets in order to be praised by people. I can guarantee this truth: That will be their only reward.” (v. 2)

Jesus had just finished saying that public giving will not be rewarded by God, and then He describes how the praise (or lack thereof) from the people who witness good deeds will be the only reward for those who helps others in order to make themselves look good.

At the close of this section, Jesus describes how God rewards the things that are done in secret. In other words, the more hidden our help and generosity are, the more likely God will reward us. Actually, in some ways, we could describe the principle Jesus is teaching us here is that we all will be rewarded for our good actions. We simply have to decide whether we want God to reward us or whether we want to receive our reward/praise from those around us.

In my own life, too often I have acted in ways in order to draw attention to myself, but following being reminded of this truth, I aim to live differently.

The big truth in this section of Jesus’ sermon is that we will be rewarded for our actions. Our choice is whether to do good actions privately and let God reward us, or publicly and let the public be the only one to give us praise.

This thought was inspired by studying the Walking With Jesus “Reflective Bible Study” package. To discover insights like this in your own study time, click here and give Reflective Bible Study a try today!

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