I’m an exhibitionist,” said the surrealist artist Salvador Dali. “Life is too short to remain unnoticed.” And actress Marlene Dietrich once released an album made entirely of the applause recorded at her cabarets—which she frequently played for her friends.
The desire for praise is never far from any of us. We want people to applaud our qualities and achievements. We can be deeply disappointed when they don’t notice the good things we’ve done for them.
Applause-seeking is most ugly when it’s tied to religiosity. In Jesus’ day, prayer, fasting, and charity were (and still are today) central to Jewish piety. But Jesus saw how easily they could be wrongly used for personal motivations. “Watch out!” He said. “Don’t do your good deeds publicly” (Matthew 6:1). “When you pray,” He said, “don’t be like the hypocrites who love to pray publicly on street corners” (Matthew 6:5). “And when you fast,” He added, “don’t make it obvious” (Matthew 6:16). Jesus’ reason was clear: When such spirituality is done to make us look good, the applause we receive will be our only reward. The One whose praise matters most will turn a blind eye (Matthew 6:1,5,16).
Jesus said that true acts of faith would be hard to hide. A city on a hill can’t be hidden (Matthew 5:14). Our deeds are to be seen by all (Matthew 5:16). But these deeds flow from a heart focused on our neighbor; a heart that prays and fasts for God’s delight alone. It should go like this: We keep quiet about our deeds, let our lives speak for themselves, and let God decide when and if our deeds ever become known.
Let’s keep our good deeds quiet, knowing that “your Father, who sees everything, will reward you” (Matthew 6:4,6,18).
NLT 365-day reading plan passage for today: Genesis 12:1-9; 17:1-8
More:
Read Mark 7:24 to see how Jesus’ good deeds followed Him. Read Proverbs 27:2 for guidance on personal promotion.
Next:
From whom and for what do you most want public praise? What good deed can you do today that only God will know about?
shalomiom on January 9, 2012 at 6:11 am
a great saint once said- when we preach, sometimes we need to talk. . .
but4hisgrace on January 9, 2012 at 6:52 am
I think our lives should speak for us. Paul wrote in 2Corinthians 3:2.
That is, our lives should be the epistle that people read. If we can do this, God that sees in secret will reward us without blowing our trumpet.
sheridan voysey on January 9, 2012 at 1:47 pm
Nicely put, but4hisgrace
eppistle on January 9, 2012 at 12:15 pm
I like your advice: “It should go like this: We keep quiet about our deeds, let our lives speak for themselves, and let God decide when and if our deeds ever become known.”
For the most part I agree, but is it ever appropriate to let other people know about your good deeds in order to set an example and challenge others to do likewise? Aren’t there examples of people in the Bible such as the Apostle Paul who did that?
sheridan voysey on January 9, 2012 at 1:51 pm
I think legalism in anything – even secrecy about our good deeds! – is problematic, so I’d say Yes, there is probably a place for that. The key is your statement ‘to set an example and challenge others’. If the deed is shared with that purpose in mind, rather than for some (even subtle) self-glory, I don’t think there’s a problem.
But perhaps an even better way would be to find and tell some else’s story of doing what it is you’re wanting to challenge others to do.
What do you think?
eppistle on January 9, 2012 at 3:22 pm
I think you’re right. It has to do with our motivation.
alli on January 9, 2012 at 12:58 pm
my challenge is how do you do something for someone without anyone knowing at all.
sheridan voysey on January 9, 2012 at 1:55 pm
Hi Alli. I don’t think we need to worry about *no one* finding out, but about sharing our deeds for self-glorifying purposes.
Jesus said that our good deeds would (and to some degree should) be known – as our light shines ‘before all’. The issue is whether we’re trying to truly serve our neighbor, or in fact make ourselves look good.
So, go, do good and forget about who finds out!
conmeo on January 9, 2012 at 11:34 pm
Wonderful words thank you all.
daisymarygoldr on January 10, 2012 at 3:36 pm
Great post and discussion!
When Jesus said our deeds are to be seen by all—He meant the deeds of morality i.e. to reflect the be-attitude of Christ. These “true acts of faith would be hard to hide” because they are proof of our faith. Faith that lays hold of God’s grace produces good works (2 Corinthians 9:8) in our lives.
Wretched sinners transformed by God’s grace do not continue in the same old sinful lifestyle. But by faith we begin to live godly and holy lives before unbelievers. Our blameless and pure conduct is not hidden but shines like bright light in a world full of crooked and perverse people (Philippians 2:15). Others will see our honorable behavior, and will give honor to God (1 Peter 2:12).
When Jesus said “Don’t do your good deeds publicly”—He meant the deeds of charity. Giving, praying, and fasting is not to seek self-praise. So, the big question is: how do we do these good works so that only God gets the glory?
And the answer to this is: If we do it in the strength and energy that God supplies, then in everything— whether it is in our being or doing good; we will bring glory to Him through Jesus Christ (1 Peter 2: 11)
daisymarygoldr on January 10, 2012 at 5:54 pm
It is 1 Peter 4:11