All of us like some attention. Some more than others. Some a lot more than others. Some don't like much at all though. We all like to be appreciated though. We learn it growing up. Perhaps it's a part of our physical makeup. Hence, when it comes to our religion?our relationship with and our service to our God?we tend to want others to know about it.

But there's a sort of conflict here. God clearly wants us to live lives of good deeds that cause others to praise him (Matt. 5:16). Yet Jesus said, "Be careful not to do your acts of righteousness before men, to be seen by them" (Matt. 6:1).

It really comes down to motive. WHY are you doing a particular good deed or whatever? Are you doing it to receive the approval and praise of others? Or are you doing it to please God? It's really hard to know for sure sometimes. You need to know though that you can fool others, and you can fool yourself, but you CANNOT fool God. That's why David says in a prayer to God that, "You desire truth in the inner parts?" (Psa. 51:6). God desires honesty and sincerity from us.

Since God actually looks at the heart (1 Sam. 16:7), he sees our thoughts and feelings as behaviors too (Jer. 17:10). He sees the whole behavior?inside and out. That's why so many of Jesus' commands are about how we think and we feel. Really the whole Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 5-7) is about who we are on the inside. Jesus later said to these same Pharisees, to whom he was largely speaking of concerning serving to be seen, to "clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean" (Matt. 23:26).

Jesus was saying that it's the heart that ultimately determines what's on the outside. And it's the heart God examines. That should be of great concern to us.

That's why Jesus says that when you give to the poor, don't announce it. In fact, he says "don't even let your left hand know what your right hand is doing" (Matt. 6:3). Again he says, "When you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you" (Matt. 6:6-7).

Do what you do for God and not for others. And he'll reward you for it.