“Beware of practicing your righteousness before others in order to be seen by them, for then you have no reward from your Father in heaven.” Matthew 6:1 (NRSVue)

Jesus warns that righteousness can be emptied of its value when it becomes a performance. Good deeds meant for God lose their spiritual weight when they are staged for human applause.

The issue is not visibility but motive. A deed can be public yet God-centered, or private yet pride-driven. What Jesus exposes is the hunger to be seen, affirmed, and praised.

When recognition becomes the goal, human praise becomes the only reward. But when God is the audience, even unseen obedience carries eternal weight.

Do good quietly enough that your heart stays fixed on God, not on the echo of people’s approval. The Father who sees in secret is never inattentive, and His reward is never shallow.