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| “Be careful not to do your ‘acts of righteousness’ before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.” |
| —Matthew 6:1 |
When do we do most of our “good deeds”? Do we perform them when we have an audience? Or, do we make an effort to do our good deeds in private, where no one can see what we’re doing?
That’s a critical test of our motivation. It almost goes without saying that, whenever possible, we should concentrate the performance of our acts of righteousness—our good deeds— in private, outside the spotlight of attention. It is much better for our own spiritual formation if we do as much as we can in behalf of Christ and His Kingdom in secret. Doing so will keep the spotlight on Christ, and not on us.
Jesus offered these words of instruction, as recorded in Matthew 6:1:
“Be careful not to do your ‘acts of righteousness’ before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.”
Now, of course, some acts of righteous service do have to be performed in public. A minister much preach, a musician must perform, and a host of other deeds must take place in public. But, when we do have to perform good deeds in public, we need to make certain we do not do so to attract the attention of others so they will praise us. This is often a difficult line to walk.
In high school, I had the privilege of singing the high tenor part in a men’s gospel music group. The group consisted of four other young men and a pianist. Several songs highlighted the tenor part. I found myself sometimes basking in the glow of attention from members in the congregation or audience when I had sung particularly well. Since I was normally someone who did not receive public acclamation, I found that it could become addictive.
Suddenly, one day, I realized that I had begun to sing for the praise of the crowd and not for the glory of God. I was ashamed and humbled at the realization of what had happened to me. I repented of my sin and, from that day forward, have tried very hard to stay as much in the background as possible.
In fact, I have developed such an aversion to public attention—due to this particular experience and also to my profound shyness—that I go to great lengths to avoid socialization and public praise. I may well have bent too far in the other direction. But, I would rather err on the side of caution. I remember all too well how addictive public praise had become for me.
As we start another new day, let’s remain aware of the tug of public praise. Let’s determine to let our lights shine, but only to bring glory to God, not to ourselves.
Let’s reserve our good deeds for times when we can do them in private, as much as possible. Let’s not do anything to seek the approval of the crowd. Rather, let’s make certain we do what we do to the glory of God alone.
