Our Scripture reading today is Matthew 6:3-4, "But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth: That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly."
What exactly is an alm? The Lord Jesus is referring to a gift. It could be monitery or some other kind of gift given to the church or an individual. We are to have an attitude of giving that gives all the glory to God. If we are seeking some sort of recognition in our giving then we are motivated in the wrong way. “Keep the thing so secret that even you yourself are hardly aware that you are doing anything at all praiseworthy. Let God be present, and you will have enough of an audience.” (Spurgeon)
Whether or not the individual finds out where or from whom the gift came from, God will always know the motive behind the gift. The principle to follow in this passage is doing our best not to toot our own horn when God enables us to be a blessing to someone else. It should always be done with His glory as the goal. 1 Corinthians 10:31, "Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God."