“And your Father Who sees in secret will reward you openly” (Matthew 6:4b).
God recognizes every act of kindness, service, and love we do for Him in secret. Because we are God’s children, we do not need to be acknowledged by people in order to be valued. When we look to people for approval, we will soon discover that in general mankind can be generally fickle and changeable as the wind; praising you one moment, tearing you down or judging you the next. But our God is the Rock of Ages, and His love is steadfast, immoveable, and never changes. We are consistently reconciled and valued by God, through Jesus Christ. In fact, God values every action we perform out of his pure heart. This means that our compassionate motivation to serve others, pray for others, and give to others is carried out because of our oneness, love, and heart connection with Jesus Christ, and the presences of the gift Holy Spirit living within.
We do not perform acts of service and kindness so that people will acknowledge, understand, or appreciate us. Rather, our motivation is to please our loving Lord and do His will. Jesus Himself spoke the promise that when we do our good deeds “in secret,” not needing to be recognized by others, but only by Him, there will be great reward. As we learn to walk in the Spirit and turn away from seeking significance, through the approval of others to elevate our egos, we will find that our double minded hearts and minds will be transformed into Christ likeness. The reward that will be given to God’s humble servants will be given by Him openly; it will last eternally; and no one can take it away. So be encouraged. Your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly!
“Examine your motives to make sure you’re not showing off when you do your good deeds, only to be admired by others; otherwise, you will lose the reward of your heavenly Father. But when you demonstrate generosity, do it with pure motives and without drawing attention to yourself. Give secretly and your Father, who sees all you do, will reward you openly.” Matthew 5: 1+3
“Whenever you pray, be sincere and not like the pretenders who love the attention they receive while praying before others in meetings and on the street. But whenever you pray, go into your innermost chamber and be alone with Father God, praying to him in secret. And your Father, who sees all you do, will reward you openly.” Matthew 5: 5-6
