Giving With the Right Heart--Matthew 6:1-4

Charity is one of the things that people point to to try and show that even secular and atheist people can be "good people" too.  There are many philanthropic people who appear to be completely altruistic in their motives, but only God can really see a person's heart and know why they are giving and if they are giving out of some sense of obligation or compulsion, or if they are truly giving out of a gracious and generous heart inspired by the grace and generosity that God has shown to them.  Remember that ultimately it's about pointing people back to God's goodness, His love, and what He has done for us.

Here's the text:
Giving to the Needy
1 “Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.

2 “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. 3 But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

This may require some context.  The Pharisees wanted people to know how much they gave and want to be recognized by men.  They would have trumpets blow and they would drop a lot of coins into the offering so that it would make a lot of noise and everyone would notice them and their gift.  Since this kind of giving brings glory to man and not to God, God says that their recognition is their only reward they will receive.

We instead are told to give in secret.  If no one knows our identity, then the only person to thank for the gift is God, who is the ultimate provider of everything we have anyways.  The expression "do not let your right hand know what your left hand is doing" is not abundantly clear, but I look at it this way....it takes two hands to count out the exact amount of money that you want to give, like if you are trying to give only what is required of you.  You are going to give your 10% and not one penny more for instance.  But it only takes one hand to blindly reach into your pocket and pull out whatever you have and drop it into the offering without looking at it.  This is not to say that we should give thoughtlessly, but we shouldn't be stingy.  We don't even own anything ourselves anyways.  Also, I don't think this passage has a lot to do with giving at church and can be applied to our personal relationships too.  When you see someone in need, be ready and willing to give as the Lord has blessed you.  Give immediately without reservation, give cheerfully, and give in a way which brings glory to God and not to you.  The gift will bless both the recipient and the giver.