Something God taught me early in my journey with Him, and reminds me of often, is that He is not nearly as interested or impressed with what we do as He is in why we do it. If we give to the poor in order to be seen by men, we lose our reward, because God is only pleased with good works done for right reasons. If we fast or pray in order to be noticed or admired, we lose our reward, because God does not admire good works done for wrong reasons.

Let us be sure that we do what we do for God and His glory because we love Him and want to be a blessing to other people— never to get anything! There have been times in my life when I have done the right thing but for wrong reasons. I have done things thinking I might earn a blessing from God. I have done things to please people with no thought of pleasing God in mind. I have done things to get attention or to gain acceptance. I often wondered why I wasn’t really happy, even though I was doing good things, but eventually I learned that true joy only comes from serving God with a pure heart.

It is often difficult for a person to take a deeper, more honest look at the true motives behind the things they do, but I strongly encourage you to do so. You may learn a truth about yourself that will be life-changing and will set you free. We are not truly free until we have no need to impress anyone and our motives for all of our actions are pure. This is an ongoing, lifelong process, but it is one that pleases God. Everyone else will see our actions, but God sees our heart!

Prayer Starter: Father, I ask You to forgive me for doing things with impure motives. I want to serve You with a pure heart and I ask for Your discernment as I go forward. Help me to be honest with myself about why I am doing things!