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July 26, 2023

“Truly I say to you, they have received their reward.” (Matthew 6:2b)

On Tuesday mornings and Thursday evenings, our Food Assistance Ministry serves many people in our community. We want to minister to souls, not just bodies, so it is an even sweeter joy to see some of the folks to whom we have served food start to attend and become enfolded into the life of our congregation. I want to thank those who faithfully serve in this arena and thank those of you who faithfully provide the food and other products that are given to care for those who need it. But, herein is my challenge.

Jesus said something that was more than a bit shocking when he warned people about practicing their righteousness before others IN ORDER to be seen by others. (Matthew 6:1) Jesus said that if you do good things for the purpose of being seen by others, then being seen by others will be your reward. That’s it. He then applied this to how we give to the needy in verse 2. Jesus assumes that we will give to the needy. That is the right thing to do. In fact, this idea is one of the teaching themes of Jesus that Luke focuses on in his gospel. We will be studying that in the near future. But, Jesus warns about giving to the needy in order to make much of yourself instead of the needy.

So, how do I thank all of you who serve the needy in this arena and in many other areas without creating an environment that encourages the praise of man? I’ve seen plenty of fundraising events for charity that post pictures of the givers and list the really big givers in ways that could appeal to those driven by the praise of man. That’s not who we are. At the same time, I think of Paul’s gratefulness to the believers at Philippi who provided for him in his imprisonment. Under the direct supervision of the Spirit of God, he wrote about it.

In other words, we need to be generous with our giving and our appreciation, but not manipulative with our giving or with our praise. That is, just as none of us should give in order to be seen by others, neither should we give praise in order to feed the egos of those who give just so they will do more. Therefore, in view of that, will you join me in thanking God for the generosity of our people who give and serve, in order to make much of Jesus and his gospel, without seeking to make much of themselves? I think that it is a good way to think of it. In fact, this really is a good way of looking at every aspect of our church life.

Cornerstone, you are a joy to serve!

Grace to you and peace,

Bob

Sunday’s text: 2 Samuel 16:15-17:23