Bible Text: “Beware of practising your piety before others in order to be seen by them; for then you have no reward from your Father in heaven”. Matthew 6.1-6, 26-18
Jesus is always encouraging us to look for opportunities and perform good works wherever we are. This is at the very heart of being followers of the Lord. Our Lord has spent His whole life going around from one town to another doing good works. He did His very best for the greater glory of God. During the worst times of pandemic, we learn about people around the world in panic mode and in great distress because of the dramatic crashing of economy. In other words before us are two gigantic crisis namely, health and economy. As Christians, we are not only concerned about our welfare and safety but we have opened eyes and ears to the cry of the poor. We have reached out to the lonely, we have encouraged opened our local food bank to those in need and we have extended our helping hands to those who are worst hit by this pandemic in other countries by supporting foundations and other local poverty alleviation drives.
How good it is to help but the gospel is inviting us to purify the very purpose why we are doing all these things. We are doing good works not to impress other people. Most of us are actually good at this. As much as possible we don’t want to be acknowledged by others with the good works we have done. We are just happy to share our blessings to others. We find fulfilment and joy in what we have accomplished. The Second is we have to be aware that the reward for the good works that we have performed must not be transactional but rather transformational. Do not expect that when we constantly do good things, blessings will be overflowing. If we expect blessings in exchange for the good things we have done, that is transactional. The danger is that we might cease doing good if we observe no blessings have returned. We might complain and rebel against God. Jesus wants us to imbibe the attitude of transformational. We will constantly do good whether we received fortunes or misfortunes. This is the right attitude of being children of God. The reward that we are hoping is not so much in this fading but something that is lasting.
Once again, we will commit doing good not to impress but to inspire people, the reward that we expecting is not transactional but transformational.