How to Giving?

Matthew 6:1–4
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Three Levels of Giving

You have to (law)
You ought to (obligation)
You want to (grace)

(Source unknown).

Giving

Jesus warns that to give gifts to the poor and needy just to be seen of men has no reward from the Father in heaven (v. 1). The Pharisees made a great show of their giving in the synagogues and on the streets thinking they were proving how spiritual they were. Jesus says that a person’s giving should be so secret that the giver soon forgets what he gave. We cannot be rewarded as the Pharisees expected by both man and God. A person who gives so men will see and honor him already has his reward and God will add nothing extra to it (v. 2). When you give to the poor don’t let anyone know about it (v. 3). However a person who is willing to serve the Lord in secret, God will reward openly (v. 4). Throughout Scripture we are told the types of people who should be recipients of our giving. The following are some of these:

The stranger - Hebrews 13:2
The fatherless - Psalms 82:3-4
The widow - Isaiah 1:17
The poor and needy - Deuteronomy 15:11
The afflicted - Proverbs 22:22-23
The destitute - James 2:15-16
Pastors and Missionaries - I Timothy 5:17

It is not the job of government to provide for the poor. Alms-giving needs to be a family and church responsibility. It needs to be restricted to those who are qualified to receive it and should never diminish a person’s desire to work.

Application

What are some practical ways of how I can determine who those are who are truly in need. An example would be to invite them to our house and visit with them after Church. If they are able they should be willing to work and not refuse jobs because it doesn’t happen to be something they like to do.

Matthew 6:1-4 (English Standard Version)

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