Would You Still Give

"So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others." — Matthew 6:2

Here's a question worth asking yourself: Would you still be a giver if you couldn't write it off on your taxes?

Think about that for a moment. If there was no deduction, no receipt, no record that benefited you in any way—would you still give?

God wants you to be a giver even when you don't get credit for it. Do you practice giving to others who are in need? Not giving that gets announced. Not giving that gets applauded. Not giving that gets your name on a plaque or a building or a program.

Secret giving. Anonymous giving. Giving that only God sees.

Jesus said, "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" (Matthew 6:3-4).

There is a reward, a blessing that God gives to those who give. But here's the tension we wrestle with—we want people to know we are generous. We want recognition. We want credit.

With many institutions today, their fundraising depends upon placing large givers' names in prominent places to say thank you. That is how institutions do it. But Jesus is saying we need to learn how to honor God in secret.

The true test of your generosity isn't what you give when everyone's watching. It's what you give when no one will ever know.

Can you slip money to someone in need without telling a soul? Can you pay for a stranger's meal and leave before they find out? Can you give generously and never mention it—not even to your spouse?

That's the giving that reveals your heart. That's the giving God rewards.

Would you still give if no one ever knew? Your answer reveals everything.