Ambrose of Milan: Good Opinion

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“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. 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. 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 in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.” Matthew 6:1-4

“There are some who aim at the credit of generosity for pride alone, because they wish thereby to gain the good opinion of the multitude for leaving nothing to themselves; but whilst they are seeking rewards in this life, they are laying up none for the life to come, and having received their reward here they cannot hope for it there.”

Ambrose of Milan (c. 339-397) in Concerning Repentance, 2.9.84.

While it is the season of year-end giving in America, most countries in the world provide no tax advantages for charitable giving. The temptation in societies where giving is celebrated with incentives links to pride. People are tempted to give for the wrong reasons.

While I am all for getting tax credits to maximize stewardship capacity, or in plain terms, to be able to give more, we must watch our motives. Think about it. Who should get the credit of all generosity? God, of course! He provides everything for us to enjoy and share.

The thing to remember, however, is the implications of glory-seeking motives. Jesus did not sugar-coat it. When we get this wrong, we store up nothing in eternity. We get no lasting gain for our giving. Let’s aim to get a “good opinion” from our God who sees everything.