Take Heed

In the last article, we examined the danger of doing good out of a wrong motive. Jesus warned, “Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them” (Matthew 6:1). In this instance, the wrong motive for doing alms is self-promotion. As demonstrated, alms giving is a necessary and expected duty. Citing Psalm 112:9 to support his claim, Paul describes a believer as one who “having all sufficiency” “abounds in every good work” (2 Corinthians 9:8). Psalm 112 reads, “Blessed is the man who fears the Lord, who greatly delights in his commandments!” (v. 1). He is a blessed man because, among other things, “He has distributed freely; he has given to the poor; his righteousness endures forever; his horn is exalted in honor” (v. 9). This is the very thing Jesus encourages kingdom citizens to pursue if practiced solely for the glory of God. “Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 5:16).

Jesus began by warning His own to beware or, as the KJV reads, “take heed” of practicing one’s righteous acts before others. The warning intimates that there is a very great danger of erring at this point. Many are inclined to believe that the very act of giving alms to the poor, no matter what motivates the giver, would be seen by the Father as acceptable so long as the poor are helped. To the contrary, Jesus made it clear that the motive of the giver is critical to Divine approval. The issue is pride, and God hates that sin.

The Lord gave a parable about those who “trusted in themselves that they were righteous” while treating others with contempt (Luke 18:9). In the parable a Pharisee was contrasted to a “sinner”—a despised tax collector. The Pharisee pridefully boasted, “I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get” (v. 12). However, the sinner was accepted because he prayed, “God, be merciful to me, a sinner!” from a broken and humbled heart (v. 13). The Savior concluded, “Everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted” (v. 14).

A great danger lurks in one’s doing whatever he will, especially good works, to promote himself for his own praise and glory. Such an one already has his reward and will have no recognition from the Father in heaven. Instead, with relentless self-examination, one must guard his own heart. He must be brutal against self-deception for “if we judged ourselves truly, we would not be judged” (1 Corinthians 11:31). Instead, “Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for ‘God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble’” (1 Peter 5:5). The admiration of shallow-minded onlookers is nothing compared to the honor that the humble servant of Christ will receive on that day when “his horn is exalted in honor.” He will hear, “Well done, good and faithful servant . . . enter into the joy of your master” (Matthew 25:21).