I’m in the process of going through the book of Matthew again, looking closely at not just what Jesus said, but how and why he said it. What stuck out to me recently was what he said in Matthew chapter 6 verses 3 and 4 which says:
"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 done in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you."
Further on in this chapter, Jesus encourages us to make sure that we pray in secret, and that we fast in secret. The first verse in chapter six says, “Be careful not to do your acts of righteousness before men, to be seen by them.” But we are to do them in secret, then God our Father who sees what is done in secret will reward us. I challenge you to take what Jesus is saying here to heart. Yes, we are to do good. We are to help the needy, pray and fast. But when we do them, we should not only do them in private, but the bible tells us to do them in secret – as if it is an intimate act just between you and the Father.
---
Do your acts of righteousness in secret. Jesus tells that when we do, “your Father who sees what is done in secret, will reward you”. This implies that we should be doing acts of righteousness. Jesus points out three here: Helping the poor, praying and fasting. But I’m sure if you put your mind to what pleases God, you’ll discover even more. Don’t be confused, Jesus isn’t saying that we should hide our light under a bowl. Earlier, he says that a believer’s light should be seen. But there are some acts that should just be between you and God.