It is possible to do the right things and still have the wrong heart behind them. We can pray, serve, give, help others, work hard, post good things, and even speak about God, yet somewhere inside, our greatest desire may be to be noticed, accepted, praised, or approved by people.
Jesus spoke directly about this. In Matthew 6:1, He said, “Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them.” That is a serious warning because Jesus was not only concerned about what we do; He was also concerned about why we do it.
God sees what people cannot see. People see the action, but God sees the heart behind the action. People may applaud what we do, but God knows whether we were doing it for Him or for their applause.
And this is where we need to examine ourselves. Are we living before God, or are we performing before people?
There is nothing wrong with being seen doing something good. Jesus Himself said, “Let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:16). The issue is not simply whether people see us. The deeper question is who receives the glory and whose approval we are ultimately seeking.
When our hearts begin to depend on the opinions of people, we can slowly lose sight of the One who called us in the first place. We begin making decisions based on how we will look, how we will be received, and what people will say about us.
But as believers, our lives were never meant to become a performance for an audience. We were created to live before God.
Leave a comment