Matthew 6:1
“Beware of practicing your righteousness before men to be noticed by them; otherwise you have no reward with your Father who is in heaven.”
The greatest hindrance in serving with the right motives is the desire to please yourself rather than the Lord. Selfishness can lead to doing great exploits in the name of Christ when we really do so for ourselves.
The principle that all believers need to understand is that, it is possible for a believer to perform ostensibly wonderful deeds and yet receive no reward from God. However, when we serve God in secret, we receive a double reward. Not only will God one day reward us “openly” (Matthew 6:4) but, we will enjoy the memory of what we did.
What a perfect season to serve Him and bless others in secret.
The Truth
And He said to them, “You are those who justify yourselves in the sight of men, but God knows your hearts; for that which is highly esteemed among men is detestable in the sight of God.” (Luke 16:15)
