November 22________________________________________
Give your gifts in private and your Father, who sees everything will reward you.
– Matthew 6:4(NLT)
GIVE IN PRIVATE
A poem and essay by ILMA
When you want to supply and help someone in need
Make sure that you do in secret your good deeds
Your Father in heaven don’t want you to boast
You’ll forfeit your reward from Him when you do so.
Give your gifts in private and you’ll be rewarded in heaven
Announce it and you will lose your points in the kingdom
Give a lending hand but do it out of love and be discreet
Don’t make it about you, it will not be pleasing to his Spirit.
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It is easy to make a big deal out of every good deed we do. Only God’s Spirit can give us the humility to make it about Him and not about us. The enemy wants to trap us into thinking that it is always a venue to show off our actions, especially when it is doing good. The gospel of Matthew cautions us to watch out that we don’t make a performance of the things we do for others or for God.
When I came to Canada, I was surprised to see a gift giving tradition of reading aloud the cards we receive and to open the gifts that we get. For me, it seems like waiting for the person to thank me for what I got them.
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PRAYER
Lord, let me have discretion whenever I do a thoughtful or generous act to someone.
REFLECTION
Why are we cautioned from showing off our generosity?
For more testimonials about God’s word, please go to YouTube and type ILMA’s poem devotional or go to www.ilmaarts.com posts. To receive emails of my poem devotionals, email me at ILMA.ARTS.STUDIO@gmail.com