The Secret Kind of Good

Read

Matthew 6:3-4 "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."

Think

Look at your two hands for a second. Go ahead, wiggle them.

Jesus said something about your hands that sounds almost like a riddle. He said when you give, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing. What in the world does that mean? Your hands cannot even think. They do not have brains. They cannot know anything.

That is exactly the point. Jesus was being a little playful to make something stick in our minds. He meant that giving should be so quiet, so secret, that it is almost like even part of you does not keep track of it. You do not add up your good deeds like points in a video game. You just help, and then you move on, and you do not even think about getting credit.

Imagine you slip a note that says "You are awesome" into a friend's backpack and never tell them it was you. Imagine you leave a flower on a neighbor's porch and run away before they open the door. Imagine you do the dishes when nobody asked and nobody knows who did it.

That is the secret kind of good. Nobody knows it was you. Nobody says thank you. Nobody claps. And Jesus said your Father, who sees everything done in secret, will reward you anyway.

Is that not amazing? God is always paying attention. When you do something kind and nobody on earth knows about it, God still knows. Nothing you do for other people is ever wasted or missed. Not one single thing.

Secret serving is a special gift you can give God. It says, "I am not doing this for people. I am doing this for you." It is like a present that only God gets to open. And God treasures that more than we can imagine.

Apply

Serve in secret – Do one good deed today where you make sure nobody finds out it was you. Leave an encouraging note, do a chore secretly, or help without being seen. Just you and God.

Pray

God, thank you that you see everything, even the things nobody else sees. Help me do good things quietly, just for you. I do not need people to know. I just want to make you smile. In Jesus' name. Amen.