Secret service

It feels good to be recognized for something you have done. Compliments and acknowledgments are an encouragement to our soul. They are a reward, of sorts, for our efforts. Received in humility, they can energize us toward further good deeds. There’s nothing wrong with giving or receiving a compliment. Acknowledgment and thanksgiving for a kindness shown to others is considered a part of polite, mannerly behavior. The problem comes when we begin to do kind things in order to receive the gratification from others; instead of gratification being the after effect of a kind deed.

Jesus wants our service to others to be an outpouring of His grace into their lives, for His glory and for the betterment of the other person; not for our own personal glory and attention. God sees what we do, and if we are truly serving others out of our love for God and His love for them, then the only person who really needs to give us feedback for what we are doing is God. We don’t even need gratitude from the person we have served, if we know deep down that we are being obedient to God. His thoughts and care toward us are a greater reward than anything anyone else could ever do for us or say about us.

“‘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. Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.'”  (Matthew 6:1-4, ESV)

The next time you or I set out to help someone or step out to serve, let’s consider who we are serving: self, others or God. Are we looking for personal gain, accolades or praise? Do we have the other person’s best interest in mind? Are we serving others to please God? Is our concern for the other person based on God’s love for them? A hurting world waits for the healing balm of God’s grace and mercy in their lives. Let’s be God’s hands and feet in service to that hurting world; and let’s trust Him to reward us as He sees fit. I think we will find that often times His rewards come first to us, we already possess them, before we even begin to reach out. It is often times out of the abundance of love God has poured out into our own lives, that we find ourselves compelled to serve.