Matthew 6

6:3 "But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing"

Does God need our money? Why do we give financially to ministries? Is God feeling the crunch of the winter time energy bills and needs our help to make ends meet? I really think sometimes people's attitudes on giving derives from some twisted idea that God needs our money. He doesn't need anything from us! So why are we supposed to give? It's all part of God's wisdom and grace. Giving results in blessings for all those involved. God could literally rain provisions from heaven if He felt like it (He's done it before!), but He has seen fit to pass blessing on to us by allowing us to give of our possessions (which came from Him anyway). By giving we show God the order of priority funds take in comparison to Him, and we get to see Him working in the lives of others. He doesn't need to do that, but how awesome is it that he does. But... as is the case... we mess it up. We get some idea that we are really going out of our way to help God out. We're pretty hot stuff because we're doing God's work. That's stupid! God doesn't need anything from us! So Jesus then has to correct this errant view by saying that we should not tell anyone what we are giving. When we keep giving to ourselves, then we will better understand why God instituted the whole concept of sacrifices in the first place.

When I was in high school, before I got my act together in the area of giving, I used to give sporadically and say to myself "Ok, that should cover the last couple of weeks/months that I didn't give anything." How messed up is that attitude! I was essentially boasting to myself that I had "payed my part". God didn't need me to "pay my part", He wanted me to have an attitude of submission, dependency on Him, and a desire to obey Him. Through great teaching at my church, my wife and I have grown in our understanding and obedience concerning this truth and have reaped many blessings through it. There's always room for growth, however, and I know that there have been times when the giving seems somewhat "automatic". I need to guard against mindlessly going through the motions. God doesn't want my money, He wants my heart.

Lord, help me to reap the blessings of giving to You by guarding my heart from pride and laziness. How wonderful are You in providing your children with opportunity to be a part of Your wonderful plans. You are amazing.