Giving to the Needy

I was reading in Matthew today and there was one passage of scripture that stood out to me.

"Be careful not to do your 'acts of righteousness' in front of others, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your father in heaven. 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. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you." -Mathew 6:1-4

This passage speaks a couple of things to me. The first is to help the needy. A tangible way that I can help the needy is through Compassion International. I sponsor a couple of girls through Compassion. Giving up a few dollars to pay for their food and education is such a small sacrifice. And the best part is that they develop a relationship with Christ. I write letters to these girls and they write letters back to me. These letter have become very special to me. I have sponsored one of the girls for six years now. What a blessing and honor it has been to watch her grow into a beautiful young lady. I can have a relationship with these girls, encourage them, and speak life into them from halfway around the world. Compassion is truly an amazing ministry and it has changed my life.

Another thing that this passage speaks to me is about serving. I think sometimes it is easy to serve to get attention. I think people should get recognized for their sacrifice but we shouldn't get caught up in it. The best way to serve is so that no one knows it was you.