ALMS - MATTHEW 6:1-4

1 Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven.
2 Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.
3 But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth:
4 That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly. KJV

These passages of scripture are taken right from the lips of the Master, yes, Jesus Christ Himself. Since our Lord and Teacher spoke these words freely to all those who gathered for His sermon (teaching) on the mountain we know that these truths will apply to us also. Jesus starts this lesson with a simple instruction not to give our alms before other people. "Alms" are generally known as free gifts to someone in need, they do not have to be poor, but typically those who are poor receive alms more frequently. Jesus does not want to bring any unnecessary attention to someone who is already dealing with lack. Therefore, if the person you are giving the alms to does not have sufficiency please do not increase their shame by broadcasting their dilemma. If the Lord's compassion is motivating you to give unto them you should also be godly in how you give. Remember, if you violate their privacy Jesus said, “you have no reward from our Father in Heaven”, that means no financial return and no statement from God saying, "Well done, My Good and Faithful Servant". Not getting anything back doesn't hurt as much as knowing you have displeased your Heavenly Father and Lord Jesus. Since this point is important to God, our Lord Jesus repeated the matter so that we would have at least two witnesses. The Lord typically will say things twice to ensure that you get the point. The point in this lesson is when it comes to alms giving in privacy (yours and the recipient) is a must. We are not at liberty to do whatever we want to do when other people are involved. As Christians who represent Christ we are at His disposal to do His service His Way. If you violate privacy you violate His Love, which will always pollute God's Blessing for them and you. If someone makes a big announcement about how much they helped brother or sister so-and-so the recipient could be embarrassed and humiliated. So please beloved of God stick with the Word of God by doing this right which means keeping it private. The next verse 3 goes just little bit deeper but still stays with the same theme. Jesus is also saying you do not even need to let other family members know what you doing. This has a two-fold meaning, one family is your Christian family, your spiritual family, so don't announce to the church or anyone else in the church family that you are helping some in need. As believers we probably need less words and more action. Just do what you can (what you have on your heart) to help the person in need and move on with God. If you can not help that person directly because you do not know where they live, just give it to someone you trust in the church that will see to it that it is given to the person you specified. In most cases you will not get a receipt but if you hand your alms to someone of reputation that you know will transfer the gift honorably you will have a clear conscious. The second family is our natural family, and although this may be a big surprise to some people we don't have to tell our natural family members everything we do. Yes, both immediate family and relatives do not have to know what you are doing with your alms (money or gift). Sometimes you will need to inform a spouse or love one if using a shared account but in many cases you do not have to mention it to others. The Rule of Thumb we are taught these verses is “strive to keep it a secret between yourself, the Lord and the recipient”. If you have to involve someone else keep the information about the recipient to a bare minimum for their privacy sake, usually people don’t like their own personal business out in the public. This is what makes this gift so special, because the less attention you can bring to yourself and the recipient the better kept the secret is and better your reward from Heaven. Since no announcement or display before men guarantees a reward from God and over exposure results in no reward from God we would be wise to keep this transaction a total secret. If you do that, my Faith Friend, our Heaven Father will reward you openly, or we could say publicly. Surely, when you receive the honor that comes from God alone publicly it will convince you that the secrecy was all worth it. Men approval and praise can never match the words of the Master when He states, “Well done My Good and Faithful Child". Amen!

In His Love, Eric & Angela Foster

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