Silent Obedience

 

“Be careful not to do your ‘acts of righteousness’ in front of others, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven. So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.”- Matthew 6:1-4 

 

God knows all things. It’s called being omniscient. The Bible tells us that He knows the hearts of men (Jeremiah 17:10; 1 Kings 8:39). If God truly knows all things, then it would be impossible to keep anything from Him. There isn’t any hidden sin or good deed that He does not know about. In these verses in Matthew, Jesus is speaking specifically of good deeds. 

Our main goal as Christians is to be as anonymous as possible when doing any good deed. It would literally be impossible to keep your left hand from knowing what your right hand was doing, but this is the illustration Christ gives to help us understand that no one need know that which we do for others. If we announce it to others the praise we receive for that good deed is our payment. 

          The religious leaders of Jesus’ day were an arrogant lot. They paraded around in full regalia, with emblems and full ornamentation. They were the keepers of the Law of Moses. They were the ones the Jews should listen to and follow. They announced their good deeds to the poor with blaring trumpets and the pomp and circumstance of people had come to expect from such an event. They denounced Christ and His teaching as heresy. Jesus was telling people to keep these things to yourself. Help others as a result of your faith, revealing your love for God by your actions. Say nothing to anyone. According to the Jewish leaders Jesus was spoiling everything. He was contradicting what they felt was necessary and didn’t desire any competition in the matter. Jesus was very specific in His instructions: do not announce your deeds as those in the synagogues do. He called them hypocrites. By definition they are putting up false appearances; their actions were in contradiction to what they said they believe. They were making a show of it. 

          God rewards those righteous believers who live their lives not for themselves, but for others. No fanfare, no pronouncements; just quietly going about the Lord’s business. We must allow Him to use us in such a way that He is glorified and not ourselves. “Do to others as you would have them do to you.” Luke 6:31 … and do it without anyone knowing it. Until next time, walk with the King and be a blessing.

Richard Keller

Bread of Life Ministries