Reward or no reward

“Be careful not to do your ‘acts of righteousness’ before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.” Matthew 6:1
Time and time again we read in the Scriptures that our good works are judged and rewarded not according to what they are, but according to the motives behind them. Do we go to church services, prayer meetings, etc. to spend time with God fellowshipping with other believers, or do we go to be seen by those believers as someone who is ‘spiritual’? Do we tithe, or give to charity, as an act of worship and appreciation to God for what He has given us, or to let other people know how much money we have that we can give away? When we pray in a group, do we adopt a different voice so that people will listen to us?
Thinking about these things hits a raw nerve for many people. I’m guilty of doing good things with wrong motives. Our works will be judged and rewarded at the bema seat of Christ (1 Cor. 3:12-15). “It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man’s work” (v13). Things done with the right motives, for God alone, in secret, are gold, silver, and precious stones in His sight. Things done to be seen by people are wood, hay, and straw and will be burned up. As Jesus said in Matt. 6:2, 5, 16, if we do things to be seen and applauded by others, that in itself is our reward. Wouldn’t you rather receive an eternal reward from God, than a passing compliment from someone here and now?