"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."
I was just remembering the story of the prophet, Samuel, anointing David as King of Israel. He passed over all of David's older, bigger, stronger, better-looking brothers and said, "Man looks at outward appearances, but God looks at the heart."
That same principle is what Jesus is talking about here. Motives matter. It is possible to do the right things with wrong motives. And it is still good in the sense that the right things are still being done. However, when we do the right things with the wrong motives, there is no spiritual benefit for us. God looks at the heart.
This isn't really about whether or not people are watching. The reality is that people are often watching. If we are following the promptings of the Holy Spirit, doing the good works that have been assigned to us, people will notice. We can't help that, and it really doesn't matter. The point isn't whether people notice; the point is the motivation of our hearts. If we do what we do in Jesus name for His glory and for His Kingdom's sake, He notices. Man looks on outward appearances, but God looks at the heart. Motives matter.
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