Do Not Seek Reward

I may take a hit for this, addressing this matter of "good deed doing in public", but I see so much of this in the news feed, that I thought I should wrote about it.

There are some on facebook who are doing "good deeds" and filming it to post for everyone to see. This is a violation of the Scriptures. When we video good deeds it is a way of bragging. The good deed then has more to do with the strokes we get from others for doing them. God says we have our reward already, there will be none in heaven for us if we do that.


I am all for good deeds as led by Christ, but I believe God when He tells us how to carry them out. It is one thing to share privately with a friend our activities, it is quite another to post it for hundreds of others to see in a public forum.

This same principle applies to praying! Praying and giving ought to be done without fanfare, because it is done to obey God and out of love, not to gain praise for ourselves. If we are obeying Christ in our praying and giving, it shouldn't even come to mind whether or not someone else is going to know about it.

Matthew 6:1-8
"1 “Beware of practicing your righteousness before men to be noticed by them; otherwise you have no reward with your Father who is in heaven.
2 “So when you give to the poor, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be honored by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full.
3 But when you [b]give to the poor, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing,
4 so that your giving will be in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.
5 “When you pray, you are not to be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on the street corners so that they may be seen by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full.
6 But you, when you pray, go into your inner room, close your door and pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.
7 “And when you are praying, do not use meaningless repetition as the Gentiles do, for they suppose that they will be heard for their many words. 8 So do not be like them; for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him."