How do we give?

The news headlines in Chinese newspapers here read -

The father of Electronics Business donates 46 sen (Malaysian Ringgit) criticized as cold-blooded
The rich and famous show love(a list of personalities and their donated amount in a chart)
Charity night in Taipei fetches RM2,401 Million


They are all very noble, whether it's 46 sen or millions - it all counts. My thoughts and prayers with the people in pains and sufferings.

On a second thought, in the midst of doing good works, lest we forget, the Bible says,

Matthew 6:2-4
"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 men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. 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."

When it comes to good works, our motivation matters. Those who do good works just to get noticed and praised already have their reward. Those who do good works out of a love for brothers and a desire to please God will get their reward in the kingdom that was prepared before the foundation of the world. Not only should we not seek praise and notice from others when we do goods - we should not even take any note of it ourselves. We should not let our left hand know what our right hand is doing. In other words, we should not even privately pat ourselves on the back! - From the book, "What on earth is happening? by Ray Stedman

In another piece, Ray Stedman also said that we are to give cheerfully. If we are not giving with pleasure, God does not want our gift. He does not care how big or small it it. If all we are after is to make an impression on others by the size of our gift, God is not interested in that.

Incidentally, my ever-green journalist Raymond Tan cited Jesus told of a widow who put two tiny pieces of money into the treasury, saying that she had given more than all that the rich people had cast in that day.

Indeed, we know many have given to the needy in their own way. God would pick up that amount, no matter how insignificant it is and use it more mightily than He would the larger gifts of the wealthy.

Here is a story used to be told by Dr. H. A. Ironside on an old Scotsman.

The old Scotsman inadvertently dropped a gold sovereign in the collection bag at a church service. In Scotland, when the ushers take up the offering, they use a long pole with a bag on the end of it, which they pass among the pews. This old Scotsman put in a gold sovereign by mistake when he meant to put in only a shilling. As soon as he realized his mistake, he tried to retrieve his sovereign. But the usher pulled the bag back and said, "Nah, once in, always in!"

The old man said, "Ah well, I'll get credit for it in glory."

For which the usher replied, "Nah, you'll get credit for the shilling."