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. Matthew 6:2
The giving of every cup of cold water has its reward. But the rewards don’t all come from the same place. It all depends on the motive. I remember a hot and dusty day when John and I had been mowing lawns and were making our way back to his house. We were ten years old at the time. In addition to being tired, we were very thirsty. John declared his intention to get a drink from a nearby house, so I tagged along. He knocked at the door and a lady opened and asked us what we wanted. John explained that we were very thirsty, and asked her for a drink of water. With a pleasant smile, she agreed, and quickly brought us each a glass full of cold water. We thanked her very much, drank the water, and continued our journey. Did that lady earn a reward for her kindness. Nobody but a couple of thirsty lads was there to see her act. Neither of us ever told anybody about it. So there was no public praise for her. She was content to receive our humble thanks. But if she was a Christian – and I have no idea whether she was – she has a better reward coming.
Kind and generous Christians are good to have around. Their deeds are appreciated, and they are often thanked. But is that thanks all the reward they will receive. It depends on their motives, and only God knows their hearts. How big a show do you make of the kind deeds that you perform? If the only reason you do kind deeds is for the notice that people take of you, that that notice is all the reward that you will get. The Pharisees loved to make a big show of the money they gave to the poor, or whatever else they determined was a kind deed. Actually, the law required that they give to the poor (Deuteronomy 15:11) so there was no great glory in doing so. But they made a big show of it. Some people noticed and applauded. What a pitifully poor reward when a better one is available.
The glory of men doesn’t last very long. But is it enough? The Pharisees put much stock in it. But Jesus called them hypocrites. They had no interest in helping the poor, or of being kind to anyone. Jesus often spoke of their nastiness. They were not nice people, and their alms deeds did not improve them a bit. Their giving was not from their hearts but for their pride. No wonder Jesus told us not to be like them.
The greatest rewards are for those whose giving is known only to God and whose motives for giving are to show the love of Christ. -Jim MacIntosh