Be Careful Little Hands What You Do...

"Look at me! Do you notice how much time I spend volunteering and how much I give to charities?"

Giving for the sake of attention is what Jesus was addressing in Matthew 6:1 when He warned about one's acts of righteousness (or alms giving) being done in the wrong manner. Nothing wrong with giving or not, but giving for the sake of attention is always wrong.

Why does it seem that people who do have places named for them - arenas, buildings, other venues - are given such utmost recognition? Are they not people too? Just because they (or their company) donate millions of dollars, shouldn't they be treated like the rest of the patrons when they enter in to the facility?

Some people are really blessed financially and can do a lot to help others' out with their money. They can do great things to benefit others. Recently, in our town, a family gave $25,000 toward a project and challenged the community to match another $25,000. I thought to myself (and shared with others) it would be nice to give $50,000 toward a project and not miss it!

As we examine what and why we do things, when it comes to giving of ourselves or our money, here are some applications to choose from to use this week...

• Examine Yourself ~ Look at the reason why you are giving - is it for the cause, for your reputation, for your tax write-off, etc.? Also, how are you giving? There is nothing wrong with being given recognition, but seeking recognition is what I see Jesus saying is a "no-no."
• Giving for Giving-Sake ~ Wherever you are and wherever you've been in life, you have probably known of things that "get done" that you do not have a clue how. The person or people that do this task just do it "because." Even if you did know who they were, they probably didn't want recognition for it. May we give of ourselves (in whatever means that is) to a situation simply because we want to.
• Reflect Him (not you) ~ As a Christian, all actions will reflect Jesus. Our job is to reflect Him in a positive and attractive light. When we give, may it be to reflect Him and what He has brought to our lives, not our own abilities or us at all.

Jesus challenges the ego in all of us by telling us that we should be careful what we do and how we go about doing it. Let us not be showy but reflective of where the money or abilities originated.

Be careful little hands what you do...