Take care not to practice your righteousness in the sight of people, to be noticed by them; otherwise you have no reward with your Father who is in heaven.

“So when you give to the poor, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, so that they will be praised by people. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. But when you give to the poor, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your charitable giving will be in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you. ^[1]

~Jesus (Matthew 6:1-4)

Are there any poor at work? Do we know them? Yes, there are poor people at work. Some do not make very much. They might be single parents struggling to pay for rent, childcare and get food on the table. They might have lost their house and are living in their car. They may have too much credit card debt and on the verge of bankruptcy. They need help. What will we do?

Do we seek them out at work? We can keep our eyes and ears open. Someone knows what is going on with them. Have we tapped into the network that can guide us to our co-workers in need?

How does Jesus challenge us at work? Jesus said clearly “when you give”. Jesus clearly expects us to do something for the poor.

The bottom line: No matter how we help our co-workers, it is to be done in secret. No one should know what we are up to. Our reward is the joy of helping not adulation by others as a saint.

God’s goal for us at work: Jesus challenges us to be generous. Jesus expects us to help the poor at work. This is not optional. Are we know for being generous at work? When our colleagues know about someone who is struggling, do they think of us and ask us to help?

^[1] New American Standard Bible. (2020). (Mt 6:1–4). La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.