16. Open Reward
Matthew 6:4, 6, 18
That thine alms may be in secret and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly.
But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret, and thy Father which is in secret shall reward thee openly.
That thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret: and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly.
Giving, praying, and fasting are three representative examples out of many outwardly visible religious activities or good works that the believer may practice openly and hypocritically to be seen by others, or he may do these actions secretly without drawing attention to himself. The point is how the deed is done and with what motivation; not what is the activity, but what is the attitude of the heart?
The key words are “in secret” and “openly.” The Christian is not concerned with how many people know what we are doing so that others may think well of us. The secret part of the activity is not to be ashamed of Christ, but it is rather that the Christian just lives his life in service to God and others and does not care who gets the credit or if it is noticed at all.
The hypocrite who wants to make sure others know he is praying or giving or doing any kind of good work is doing it for himself, to be recognized, noticed, honored, and thought well of by the world. Jesus says he has a reward for that, and their reward of being noticed is all they will get.
The quiet and sincere believer does things unselfishly, living for others and serving God and people. He does no good thing from any other motivation than faith in Christ and love of God; he does not look for any reward, for a truly good work is not by definition done for personal advantage. But God notices and keeps accounts and He will make sure to reward openly. The sincere believer may enjoy the rewards but not notice the cause and effect connection. The truth is that life simply goes better with more joy and peace for him. This is reward that comes “openly,” that is, his life is affected positively in this world as consequences of obedience and blessings of grace. God gives to the giver and answers the one who prays.