Matthew 6:1 Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven. 2 Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. 3 But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth: 4 That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly.
This passage of scripture strongly cautions Christians not to parade any of their good deeds before men, in an effort extract praise, admiration, or esteem from those who see and hear of their charitable works. The habit of recounting our good deeds in the hearing of anyone should be avoided, and the accumulation of long detailed lists of our accomplishments in benevolent works of kindness, should not be encouraged on a personal level. The way that charitable works are done and consequently given to be advertised by the media in the secular world is contrary to the teachings of the Bible, and renders our benevolence of no eternal value in God's sight, if they are done with the intention promoting oneself.
The Bible tells us of a pharisee who went into the temple to pray, but the content of his audible prayer was just a detailed history of all the good works he had performed, which he insisted on letting everyone know. In recounting his good deeds before God and man, he apparently hoped to achieve two main objectives: (1) To recommend himself to God on account of his righteousness. (2) To gain the admiration of those who were listening so that he would be held in high religious esteem. However, according to the Bible, his prayer did not reach higher than the roof. Let's read:
Luke 18:10 Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. 11 The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. 12 I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess. 13 And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner. 14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.
The scriptures thus gives us direct and pertinent instruction on this very point, so that as Christians, we may avoid the temptation to invoke accolades and praises from our peers and fellow brethren, for good deeds that are done. Let's read:
Proverbs 27:2 Let another man praise thee, and not thine own mouth; a stranger, and not thine own lips.
Proverbs 20:6 Most men will proclaim every one his own goodness: but a faithful man who can find?
If by the grace of God we harbor the right attitude in doing good charitable works, then the blessing of God will rest upon us, for He takes delight in His people when they do good out of a sincere heart, not looking for commendations or any rewards. We therefore end with a passage of scripture that shows us both the reward and the disposition of those who will be saved when Jesus comes as it pertains to the doing of good works. Let's read:
Matthew 25:34 Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: 35 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: 36 Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.
The response of the righteous is very important, for even though they had spent their Christian lives doing a world of genuine good, yet it seems as if they have no recollection of any of their acts of kindness, which tells us that they were not checking or recording what good they did, nor when their charitable work was performed. Let's read:
Matthew 25:37 Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? 38 When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? 39 Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?
To those of us who are living in an era of "Selfies", and public admiration for benevolent deeds, the Lord says to us, "Go and do thou likewise", just as the righteous in the above passage did. "Good night" and God bless!