When you give…When you pray… Matthew 6:1-8
“I am intrigued by the way Jesus ties our giving and our praying together in this passage. He almost says the same thing twice; first speaking about charitable giving and then in the next breath, about how we should pray.
Jesus gives us the following instructions on both our giving and our praying:
- Don’t do it to be seen by them … if you do that’s the only reward you’ll get!
- Do do it in secret … then your Father who sees in secret will reward you!
Pretty simple and straightforward. But why does Jesus apply these same instructions to both giving and praying?
I think it has to do with the reason God wants us to give. Christian givers are not philanthropists; we don’t do it for a plaque on the wall. We acknowledge that all we have is God’s and we are but mere stewards. As we give, we are confirming God’s goodness, relying on His promises, remembering who we are in Christ.
When we give, we must also pray because giving, when done in faith, is an act of worship. And when we pray, we should consider what we can give because these actions help us to trust Him more.”
Josh Reid in “Refocus our thoughts – Giving and Praying” posted in March 2019 by Generate Ministries.
Josh is an Aussie mate who ministers down under and faithfully enjoys and shares my Daily Mediations. He shared a recent post he wrote with me, and I loved it, so I pray it blesses you. I like that he emphasizes that our praying and giving are connected and should look different from the world.
In your situation, does your generosity look different from the world?
Christians should abandon “philanthropy” as that form of giving follows human rules and promises earthly glory. Alternatively, New Testament giving uses “grace” language to ensure that all glory goes to God now, and while we can expect rewards in the eternal kingdom, we must not look for them here.
Let us connect our praying and giving during Lent as a basis for our living, giving, serving and loving in life after Lent.
It’s been an great weekend with my brother and his wife, seeing their daughters, and one son-in-law, while spending precious time with my parents for my dad’s 80th birthday. The new header photo captures the Scriptorium at the Holy Land Experience in Orlando. I got to visit there with my parents.