³ But when you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, ⁴ that your charitable deed may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you^[a]openly. (Matthew 6:3-4 NKJV)

God knows what you do in His name without you needing to mention it to anyone else. He sees the works of our hands, but more importantly, he knows the workings of our heart and mind. In this He not only understands our motives, but knows the depths of exactly what we think and feel about our actions. This is why He tells us to “give with a glad heart.”

Giving is a very private thing. It should be done so that no one gets the wrong impression of us, be that that we are overly pious or that we are stingy. God knows from what we give, either from our abundance or from what little we have already. There should be no compulsion when we give, other than our desire to do as God has put upon our hearts.

We should come away from giving with a smile on our face and our heart for doing that which God directed.

Reflect on: The state of your heart and head when you give. Keep it to yourself and take joy in what you do.