God’s Promised Reward for Our Smallest Deeds

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

There is not a single act of genuine Christian piety that goes unnoticed or unrewarded by God. In this passage our Savior warns us to be very careful what we do; if we perform righteous deeds only to be seen by others, we will have no reward from our Father. But this means, then, that if we practice our righteousness only to honor him, then he will certainly provide a reward.

This warning is explained in more detail in the following verses. Christ says that those who fast or pray in order to be seen by others have already received the full extent of their reward. But Christians must fast and pray in secret, seeking only to receive God’s attention. If they do so, then the promise is, “your Father who sees in secret will reward you.”

We learn from our Savior that God will certainly reward even the most insignificant acts of kindness. “Whoever gives one of these little ones even a cup of cold water because he is a disciple, truly, I say to you, he will by no means lose his reward” (Matthew 10:42).

The implications are startling; God is a God of the little things, of the most minute actions. The same God who will demand an account of “every careless word” (Matthew 12:36), will also provide a reward for the smallest genuine prayers and the simplest gentle actions.

The God who searches hearts will certainly find out hypocritical motives. The standard of perfection which our Lord demanded (Matthew 5:48) is not attained by sinful men. Our only hope for reward, then, is found as we live in obedience to our Savior, Jesus, who covers our sins and makes us pleasing to the Father.