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. (Matthew 6:1,4)
Journal Entry
“Stunting for social media is so common that people are used to being fake. Capturing moments just for likes/comments makes it seem that the event wasn’t real unless you have evidence. These verses remind you that it’s not about who sees you do charitable deeds because the fact that God sees is enough. He wants you to be genuine, and your motives to be pure.”
Father, help me to be content even if the only person that sees/knows is You. May I always remember that men’s applause does not compare to Your approval.
Commentary
Whilst the importance of having pure motives for kindness cannot be understated (v1) and it’s nice to be ‘rewarded’ for your actions (v4), those aren’t the things that stood out to me when I read this. The idea that God desires to have ‘secret’ moments with us was so beautiful! Moments that occur solely between three parties: you, the recipient of your generosity, and God.
Do you have inside jokes with anyone? For some reason, that’s what this verse reminded me of: a shared memory that connects you in a way that others aren’t privy to. In fairness, I wouldn’t want others to ‘get it’ because it would make the memory less special. Likewise, doing charitable deeds in the absence of evidence (witnesses or social media), means that my Father is the only person who knows the full extent of my charity.
So…
It’s not wrong to be charitable in the presence of others, but their presence shouldn’t be the thing that motivates your charity. In any case, why wouldn’t you want to keep the moment between you and your Father?
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