What Does Jesus Really Teach About Giving?

Jesus teaches that giving is not about impressing people or simply parting with money. It reveals what we treasure, what we trust, and whether our hearts are truly surrendered to God.

Giving Reveals What Has a Hold of the Heart

When Jesus talks about giving, He is not simply reaching for what is in our hand.

He is revealing what has a hold of our heart.

Money touches almost every part of daily life.

Bills.

Groceries.

Savings.

Emergencies.

Retirement.

Family needs.

Future plans.

Our sense of security.

That is why giving can feel so personal.

This is not merely a fundraising issue. It is a discipleship issue.

Jesus is not after our wallet.

He is after our heart.

Giving Tests What We Treasure

In Matthew 6, Jesus begins dealing with three spiritual practices:

Giving.

Prayer.

Fasting.

These are not random topics.

They are places where surrender gets tested.

Giving tests what I treasure.

Prayer tests what I depend on.

Fasting tests what controls my appetites.

So the deeper question underneath giving is not simply:

“Do I give?”

It is:

“Does God have access to what I treasure?”

Jesus Corrects the Motive, Not the Act

Jesus is not telling people to stop giving.

He is correcting the reason behind it.

He warns against practicing righteousness in front of others to be seen by them.

That phrase matters.

Jesus is not saying every act of generosity must be hidden from every person at all times.

Earlier, He told His followers to let their light shine so people would see their good works and glorify the Father.

Those teachings do not contradict each other.

One points people toward God.

The other warns us not to use obedience to point people toward ourselves.

The issue is not whether someone sees the good work.

The issue is whether being seen became the reason for the good work.

It Is Possible to Do the Right Thing for the Wrong Reason

A person can give and still be selfish.

A gift can leave our hand while pride remains in the heart.

That is why Jesus warns against turning generosity into a public performance.

Giving can be worship.

Or giving can become performance.

It becomes performance when I need everyone to know what I did.

When I want to meet the need but also manage my image.

When I want to be generous, but I also want the credit for being generous.

Jesus says that if human recognition is the reward we are chasing, then human recognition may be the only reward we receive.

Give Without Needing the Applause

Jesus says:

“Do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing.”

He is not giving us a strange puzzle.

He is describing generosity that has been released to God.

Sometimes we give and then keep replaying it in our minds.

We remember what we did.

Who knows about it.

Whether anyone appreciated it.

We may not say anything publicly, but inwardly we keep polishing the trophy.

Jesus invites us into something freer.

Give before the Father and release the need to be noticed.

Obey without keeping score.

Surrender both the gift and the credit.

Why Money Can Be So Hard to Surrender

Giving reaches places few other things reach.

Trust.

Control.

Security.

The quiet question:

“Will I be okay if I let this go?”

Money represents more than numbers in an account.

It represents options.

Plans.

Emergency preparation.

The ability to feel like life is somewhat under control.

That is why giving can become such a significant spiritual battle.

It reaches into the place where many of us try to feel safe.

Trusting God With Salvation Is One Thing

We may sincerely trust God with eternity.

Forgiveness.

Guidance.

Strength.

Our souls.

But when He begins dealing with our finances, we sometimes discover areas we have not fully surrendered.

That is not a reason for shame.

It is an invitation to deeper trust.

Giving forces us to ask whether we believe God is still good when surrender becomes practical.

Can I trust Him with what I normally use to feel secure?

Giving First Is an Act of Worship

One of the shifts that happens in surrender is learning not to give God what is left over.

Giving becomes part of worship.

Not an afterthought.

Not something we do only if everything else works out first.

It becomes one more way we say:

“Father, I trust You.”

That does not mean life becomes luxurious.

It does not mean surrender guarantees that every desire will be met.

But it does teach us to recognize God’s provision in deeper ways.

Sometimes provision looks like having exactly what we need.

Sometimes it looks like peace we cannot explain.

Sometimes it looks like confidence that the Father knows how to care for His children.

Giving Is About Surrender

Abraham’s story gives us a picture of surrender.

Isaac represented promise.

Future.

Legacy.

Joy.

Everything Abraham had waited for.

And yet Abraham was willing to place what was most precious before God.

That is what surrender does.

It brings the thing we hold tightly before the Lord and says:

“Lord, I trust You with this too.”

Giving does something similar in us.

It takes something connected to our work, plans, provision, and control and places it before God.

The Secret Place Is Not Empty

Jesus says:

“Your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.”

That matters.

He does not say:

“Your audience sees.”

“Your church sees.”

“Your pastor sees.”

He says:

“Your Father sees.”

There is comfort in that.

The obedience no one applauds is not wasted.

The generosity no one knows about is not forgotten.

The sacrifice that never becomes a story is still seen by God.

The secret place is not empty. The Father is there.

The Father’s Attention Is Enough

We do not have to chase recognition for obedience to matter.

We do not have to make sure everyone knows what we did.

We do not have to keep score in our minds.

The Father sees.

And when the Father sees, that is enough.

That is one of the freedoms Jesus gives us.

We can stop performing.

Stop managing our image.

Stop looking around to see whether anyone noticed.

We can simply obey.

The Greatest Act of Giving Was God’s

Abraham’s story points toward something greater.

One day, another Son would carry wood up another hill.

But this time, the Father would not stop the sacrifice.

God gave His Son for us.

That is the Good News.

The greatest act of giving in Scripture is not Abraham offering Isaac. It is the Father giving Jesus.

So we do not give so God will love us.

We give because He has already loved us.

We do not surrender treasure to earn a place in His family.

We surrender because through Christ we already belong to the Father.

Giving Becomes Worship When Grace Comes First

When the Gospel takes hold of the heart, giving changes.

It stops being merely a financial decision.

It becomes worship.

Trust.

Surrender.

One more place where we say:

“Father, I believe You are good, and I trust You with this too.”

That is a very different motivation from guilt.

Pressure.

Manipulation.

Fear.

Biblical giving grows out of grace.

What Am I Still Holding Tightly?

The question is not:

“How can I impress God?”

And it is not:

“How can I impress people?”

The deeper question is:

“Do I trust the Father with what I have been holding tightly?”

Maybe finances are one of the hardest areas for you to surrender.

Maybe you trust God with eternity but struggle to trust Him with next month.

Maybe you believe He saved your soul but still carry anxiety about whether He will provide for your needs.

Maybe fear is still making financial decisions for you.

Jesus does not expose that to shame you.

He exposes it to invite you into freedom.

Surrender Fear, Control, and Anxiety

Sometimes the real issue is not money.

It is fear.

Control.

Anxiety.

The need to feel secure.

The hesitation to trust.

And the prayer may simply be:

“Father, I want to trust You here too.”

There is no shame in admitting that trust is hard.

Surrender begins with honesty.

Bring the fear to Him.

Bring the control.

Bring the anxiety.

Bring the hesitation.

And ask Him to teach you what it means to trust Him with this part of your life.

Want to Keep Exploring Jesus’ Teaching?

Continue through our Kingdom Living series, watch the message, or join us this Sunday at Victory Christian Center in Phillips, Wisconsin.