Dave's Diary

Prayer

Before you read, I invite you to pray this prayer based on Psalm 119:34

Lord, please give me understanding, so that I may keep your law with joy, and obey it with all my heart. Amen.

Briefly prepare your heart in silence, and ask the Holy Spirit to awaken your openness to the voice of God, coming to you through His Word.

Reading

Matthew 6:1-4

Having just explicitly expanded the command to love our neighbours to include loving even those who are our enemies, Jesus gets very practical about one of the ways we ought to love our neighbours.

Jesus does not say, “If …” but “When you give to the needy”. After all, we Christians are following (and seeking to imitate) the Lord Jesus. Jesus’ entire life was an act of giving Himself away for the sake of those who needed His ministry. For His disciples, therefore, generosity to those in need is not optional. It is an essential part of a Christlike lifestyle.

However, today’s teaching highlights that there is a right and a wrong way to give.

Giving to others while making a fuss to draw attention to ourselves and our “generosity” shows that our true aim in giving is not to alleviate the needs of those to whom we give, but only to draw attention to ourselves and impress others, Jesus bluntly tells us that, in such cases, the applause of others is the only reward we will get; because that was all we actually wanted. God will not honour that kind of giving, because our motivation was purely selfish.

Acts of giving that are motivated by the desire build ourselves up are not loving because they are not acts of self-sacrifice aimed at the highest best of others!

What is the antidote? What is the truly Christlike way to give to those in need? According to Jesus, His disciples are to give in such a way that not even our own left hand knows what our right hand is doing. Giving is most Christlike when it is done in such a way as to draw the least possible attention to ourselves, because then our motivation is purely the well-being of others.

How can you give in secret today?

Contemplation

Please take time to ponder what Jesus has commanded us. Turn one or more of these declarations over in your mind. Keep them in mind throughout the day and live in step with Your King, Jesus.

As a disciple of Jesus Christ:

• I will love others by giving to those in need;
• I will give to those in need in ways that truly seek their highest best;
• To guard my motives, I will strive to keep my giving completely anonymous as far as possible.

Holy Spirit of Love, give me Your heart of love, and empower me to love others by meeting their needs generously, as I am able, and with a pure heart. Amen.