“Remember, the sins of some people are obvious, leading them to certain judgment. But there are others whose sins will not be revealed until later. In the same way, the good deeds of some people are obvious. And the good deeds done in secret will someday come to light” (1 Timothy 5:24-25 NLT).
Perhaps we should not be surprised to learn that there are occasions when the God-honoring deeds of others may not be obvious. For instance, anyone who follows the Biblical accounts of Jesus’ life and ministry will quickly learn that He saved some of His harshest criticisms for those who sought to engage in the external display of spiritual piety. In fact, Jesus even went so far to say, “Everything they do, they do to be noticed by others…” (Matthew 23:5 CEB) in describing the attitude of those individuals.
Therefore, it would seem prudent to err on the side of caution when we are presented with an opportunity to publicize our acts of benevolence. Although we may gain a measure of satisfaction and affirmation from the knowledge that others are aware of our good deeds, the only audience that really matters belongs to God.
Those who seek to deflect attention from their good deeds may also have the following portion of Jesus’ message from the Beatitudes in mind…
“Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them. Otherwise you have no reward from your Father in heaven. Therefore, when you do a charitable deed, do not sound a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory from men.
Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. But when you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, that your charitable deed may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly” (Matthew 6:1-4).
This has led one source to offer the following observation…
“Some obviously seem to be good at once. Others are more retiring and modest, and it is only with the passing of time that their actual goodness becomes known. Even if we cannot see good, there may be some which will come to light later. The lesson to draw from all this is that we should not judge a person on first acquaintance, but rather allow time for true character to show itself.” (1)
(1) William MacDonald, Believer’s Bible Commentary, pg.2098