In March of 2010 Lake Forrest College in Illinois got a 7 Million dollar surprise donation from a lady by the name of Grace Groner who had recently passed away. She had worked at one company all her life. She did not own a car. She lived in a small one bedroom house willed to her by a friend. She bought her clothes at rummage sales. She lived simply, carefully and invested wisely. Grace was willing to work quietly and out of the public view to make her life count. She reminds me of Matthias, whom the Catholic Church celebrates on this day. Matthias was there from Christ’s baptism to His ascension. He stood out, with one other man, of the 120+ when it came time to replace Judas as an apostle. Today, he stands with the other 11 ready to judge the 12 tribes of Israel according to Matthew 19:28. We know very little about him. Without that mention in Acts 1, we would know nothing.

What was it about Matthias that made him stand out in the crowd? What was it about his personality and holiness that made him the first to be thought of, yet never mentioned in any other literature recounting the life of Christ? I tend to believe that Matthias was much like Grace Groner. He worked quietly in the background, trying to be wise in his actions and choices as did some of the other apostles. Because of that quiet, humble, giving spirit God chose to exalt him. God did what man cannot do – he granted favor to one He chose. And, you would have to believe that it was based on Matthias’ heart. To me he lived the first 4 verses of Matthew 6. I am going to take the time to add this because of what I believe is its matchless significance.  “Be careful not to do your ‘acts of righteousness’ before men, 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 men. I tell you the truth, 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.”

Kids, in these verses are contained what has today become the antithesis of what most would consider good sense. Most want their ego stroked by being thanked for something good they have done. Most have not grasped the concept that this is the secret path to righteousness and abundance in the Kingdom. It all boils down to a simple concept I hope you will consider all the days of your life. “See how much you can do for those in need, without letting other people know.” You see, visibility spoils your rewards. People in the church want to promote that you have done something for the kingdom – its good press with all of today’s bad news! People with higher profiles are watched more closely and can rarely do something without it being noticed. That’s sad, because they have their rewards here. In 1 Thessalonians 4:11 it says this: “Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business and to work with your hands, just as we told you.” That is Paul’s way of telling you that if you find a place out of the spotlight, you have a greater opportunity of ministering without others knowing. I pray that if nothing else, kids, this is the one day of the year’s lesson you will remember. I don’t want you to miss this truth. Find a way to do something for others quietly, knowing He will see it and bless you for it.

Love Dad