Kingdom Alignment Part 2
At Keys Vineyard Church, we are presenting a series called ‘Kingdom Alignment,’ which we post here on Online Bible Institute.
We are in the second week of a new series based on Matthew 6 called Kingdom Alignment. Today, we are looking at “The Father Who Sees in Secret.”
Matthew 6:2–4 (NIV)
2 “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 others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 3 But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
One of the quickest ways to discover what is happening in our hearts is to look at what we do with what we have. Our money, our time, our attention, our resources, and our energy almost always reveal what we truly value. Jesus knows this. That is why one of the very first things He talks about in Matthew 6 is generosity. But notice something important. Jesus does not say, “If you give.” He says, “When you give.” Generosity is assumed. It is part of normal Kingdom life because generosity reflects the heart of the Father. The people of God are called to become like the God they serve, and our God is extraordinarily generous. The Apostle Paul reminds us of the words of Jesus in Acts 20:35:
Acts 20:35 (NIV)
35In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ ”
That statement runs completely against the values of the world. The world teaches us to accumulate, protect, and hold tightly. The Kingdom teaches us to trust, share, and bless. The Kingdom of God is not built on grasping. It is built on giving. God Himself is the great giver. Life, breath, grace, mercy, salvation, forgiveness, and daily provision have all come to us from His hand.
This is why Christian generosity is different from mere philanthropy. We do not give to earn God’s love, gain His approval, or secure His favor. We give because we have already received those things through Christ. Christian generosity is not rooted in guilt. It is rooted in gratitude. It is the overflow of a heart that has encountered the generosity of God.
Jesus also reminds us that generosity is not ultimately about appearances. It is about alignment. The Father sees what others cannot see. He sees the motives, desires, and affections of the heart. The question is not simply whether we give, but why we give. You cannot receive well with a closed fist. Closed hands hold tightly. Open hands trust. And aligned people learn to live open-handed lives before the Father who sees in secret.
This weekend at Keys Vineyard Church, we will discuss all this and more, so be sure to join us in person or online.
Steve Lawes is a pastor at Keys Vineyard Church and also the founder of the Online Bible Institute Network.
