Matthew 6:1 “Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven. “Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 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. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
Luke 12:15 And he said to them, “Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.”
Ezekiel 33:31 And they come to you as people come, and they sit before you as my people, and they hear what you say but they will not do it; for with lustful talk in their mouths they act; their heart is set on their gain.
Matthew 16:27 For the Son of Man is going to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay each person according to what he has done.
Hebrews 2:1 Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it.
Although Christians are to be seen doing good works, they must not do good works simply to be seen. The idea is when we do righteous deeds for the attention and applause of men, their attention and applause is our reward. It is much better to receive a reward from your Father in heaven. Some may say the important thing is to do the good deed regardless of the motive. There is some truth to this in that it is better to do a good thing with the wrong motive than to do wrong. However, Jesus is telling us that motive/reward can be either earthly or Godly. If our motive is to have earthly recognition, that will be our reward. If our motive is for the honor and glory of Jesus Christ, then our reward is His honor and glory for which our soul rejoices and our heart praises. It is out of the heart, soul, and mind of those who intentionally choose to live every moment of their life in such a way that all of their actions, words, and thoughts are built on the foundation of honoring and glorifying Jesus Christ.
