Jesus continued to indict the scribes and Pharisees for their hypocrisy and lack of true righteousness while instructing his followers in the way of righteousness. The Pharisees had missed the point about how a person becomes righteous. Hypocrisy is, of course, true of all of us from time to time, but Jesus was encouraging genuineness and true spirituality as opposed to hypocritical self-righteousness. God despises appearance that is not reality Jesus’ followers must live for God’s approval, not people’s praise. How To Bless Those In Need Matthew 6:1  1. Do Good No Matter Who Is Watching The Pharisees practiced a performance-oriented “works-righteousness” apart from any relationship. For Jesus, this was unacceptable.  Jesus was not condemning the righteous acts themselves. Genuineness was his focus, not the acts themselves. We must recognize, however, that the line between right and wrong motives is not the same as between private and public obedience. Not all public acts of obedience are done for the wrong motives. God calls you to help, even if you receive nothing. Doing good deeds should not be dependent on our return on investment. Matthew 6:2  2. Generosity Is An Assumed Behavior of a Christ Follower  Jesus assumes his disciples will give alms: “When you give to the needy,” he says, not “If you give to the needy.” “Giving” or “almsgiving” is the translation of terms meaning “perform an act of mercy.” By the first century, the phrase meant giving to the needy. This kind of giving was not mandatory in Scripture, for it was above and beyond the three required tithes. The Pharisees’ great weakness was that they loved men’s praise more than God’s. Jesus assumes that we are givers and that generosity flows out of us. God wants us to give to the church and not have to be reported on how our money is used. God expects you to provide and leave the rest up to him. God expects giving to be a part of the shared nature of his followers. If your wallet is closed to God, his blessings will not flow in your life. Matthew 6:3-4  3. Correct Motivation Is Vital In classical Greek, hypocrite refers to an actor on stage wearing a mask. In the New Testament, it came to have a negative connotation, referring to someone putting on an act. There are specific character requirements if we wish to receive the benefits of God’s kingdom; we must be guided by God’s purposes and values and not by the ways and values of the world. The way to avoid hypocrisy is not to cease giving but to do so with such secrecy that we scarcely know what we have provided. Jesus’ disciples must themselves be so given to God that their giving is prompted by obeying God and having compassion for men. Since nothing escapes the eye of God, even the most private act is noticed and will be rewarded. Jesus’ use of the title Father added warmth to his guarantee of reward. Our job as Christ’s followers is to move our hearts to the things that move God. Many amazing people have blessed us with money for time off. They did so with the only motivation of what God asked them to do. Our only motivation in giving should be to Kingdom investment. We need to invest in the things that move the heart of God. What are our transformational moments? Do you help others? Are you living generously? Do you invest in what moves the heart of God?