Are There Rewards For Doing Good Works? - Matthew 6

6 “Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.2 “So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 3 But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

As we continue in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus addresses motives for pursuing such spiritual disciplines as giving, praying, and fasting.  In His day the Pharisees were guilty of parading their righteousness before others to get their attention.  Jesus teaches when your motive is to receive the attention and applause of others, you may get a earthly reward but nothing from your heavenly Father.  But when you give in secret your Father in heaven who sees what is done in secret will reward you.  

So what can we learn from this? People tend to equate this idea of receiving a reward for works with the Catholic idea of justification by works.  Or, the fact that those who do good works on earth will get more or greater rewards in heaven.  But I don't think Jesus is talking about that.  As we saw yesterday Jesus is more interested in the heart than outer appearances.  He is not worried about keeping the legalistic details of the Law, but obeying the Spirit of the Law.  He is not so much worried about practicing good works such as prayer and fasting, but why you are doing them.  Are you doing these things to get closer to God or to receive the approval of others?  

The purpose of spiritual disciplines is to connect us to the Father so that as we do the things God has called us in His power.  Our reward is fellowship we enjoy with God while we do it and blessings it gives to others.  Our reward is the instrinic joy of doing something we were created to do!  While it feels good to get compliments, it pales in comparison to the reward of hearing our Father say, "Well done my good and faithful servant!" 

I think you will find "giving in secret" is not easy to do.  Our flesh and our pride want recognition for the good things we do.  Giving in secret leads to humility.  Giving in secret is in obedience to our Lord and Savior Jesus who humbled himself and became obedient even to death on a cross!