But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth, MAT 6:3.

Sometimes this verse is very misunderstood. In verse 4 we read, "That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly." We may not take this out of context with what the Lord Jesus teaches in Matthew 5; it must be held in proper balance.

MAT 5:16 says, "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven." See where the motive is. This is what Jesus is teaching; glorifying the Father is the right motive. We are called upon to do our good works before men, to be seen of men, but the motive is to give God the glory, not to glorify self.

Our text says that we must do our good deeds quietly, not sounding a trumpet. How are these to be reconciled? Our light must shine, but not to promote ourselves; it is to honor God; "that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven." Our text cautions against blowing a trumpet to attract the notice of men to exalt self.

Look at ACT 4:34-35, "Neither was there any among them that lacked: for as many as were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the prices of the things that were sold, And laid them down at the apostles' feet; and distribution was made unto every man according as he had need."

Did that mean they wouldn't allow the apostles to know what they brought? No, their motive was not to be seen. Their motive was to give all. They did not blow their horn so the world would know what they gave, but neither did they try to conceal it from the apostles. They laid their gifts down at the apostles' feet so the distribution could be made according to need.

The giving was a very well known fact, done before men, but not to be seen of men or receive the praise of men. Let's look at motives. There was a great blessing and the church prospered when many people took everything they owned, sold it, and laid the money at the feet of the apostles. The fact of these contributions was common knowledge, but the Lord looks at our motives.

The wrong motive of the heart was revealed in the sin of Ananias and Sapphira! They wanted everyone to believe that they had given their all when in fact it was a lie. The fact that they sold their land and gave part of the money to the apostles was not their sin; they wanted everyone to think they had given their all when they only gave a part.