When You Give To The Needy

WHEN YOU GIVE TO THE NEEDY

a prayer to open

Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.

May your Kingdom come, may your will be done

on earth as it is in heaven.

Watch out! Don’t do your good deeds publicly, to be admired by others, for you will lose the reward from your Father in heaven. When you give to someone in need, don’t do as the hypocrites do—blowing trumpets in the synagogues and streets to call attention to their acts of charity! I tell you the truth, they have received all the reward they will ever get. But when you give to someone in need, don’t let your left hand know what your right hand is doing. Give your gifts in private, and your Father, who sees everything, will reward you.

Giving to those in need was not a new concept to the Jews of Jesus’ day. Doing so had been part of what God first commanded them when he formed them as a people (see Exodus 23:6-11). Based on Jesus’ words, though, giving had apparently become somewhat of a show in which people sought recognition for their charity. So he very clearly directed his followers to give in private, not for fanfare.

Close your eyes and imagine yourself sitting in a favorite, familiar spot. Get comfortable there, listening for sounds, seeing what is around you. Then imagine Jesus next to you or across from you, looking into your eyes and then saying the words he said to his first followers: “Don’t do your good deeds publicly, to be admired by others, but give your gifts in private.”

• What would you do today if you allowed Jesus’ words to guide you? What would you stop doing today if you allowed his words to guide you?
• What doubts arise in you as you think about giving to the needy in the way Jesus instructed his disciples? What fears or worries arise in you when you consider his words applying to you?
• What characteristics and virtues form in you when you give to the needy without fanfare or recognition? Take a few moments to ask God to show you if there are certain areas of life in which you are giving in order to draw attention to yourself.

Father, thank you for your goodness and the way you provide for me. I know I have given to people in need just to be recognized or feel good about myself. Shape my heart so it desires to give whether I get something out of it or not. Purify my motivations so I give as you give. May I be attuned to the needs of others, my mind and heart always looking to serve and give. Amen.