Think about the job of an actor or actress. They put on a performance where they pretend to be someone else. What they do and say isn’t real; it’s fictional or pretend. They put on a show in order to tell the story of the movie, TV show, or play they’re acting in.

Good acting in a movie or show can be really impressive. But do you know when acting isn’t as impressive? When someone is trying to put on a performance in real life, just to be praised by other people. Have you ever done or said something just to look good in front of someone else? Why do you think we do this sometimes?

Jesus said something about this during His time on earth. He saw that a lot of people who claimed to be really focused on God were actually doing godly things in order to be seen by other people. Jesus taught that this wasn’t what God wanted. He said, “Watch out! Don’t do your good deeds publicly, to be admired by others, for you will lose the reward from your Father in heaven. When you give to someone in need, don’t do as the hypocrites do— blowing trumpets in the synagogues and streets to call attention to their acts of charity! I tell you the truth, they have received all the reward they will ever get. But when you give to someone in need, don’t let your left hand know what your right hand is doing. Give your gifts in private, and your Father, who sees everything, will reward you.” (Matthew 6:1–4)

Now, it’s not really possible for your left hand not to know what your right hand is doing. Jesus isn’t saying that doing something good for someone else has to be this huge secret that no one else can ever know. Instead, He’s saying that what really matters is that you are doing good for the right reasons. You aren’t doing something good just to get praise, status, or good PR. You are doing good because you know what is right, you know what will honor God, and you care about other people.

Jesus went on to say something similar about prayer. He said, “When you pray, don’t be like the hypocrites who love to pray publicly on street corners and in the synagogues where everyone can see them. I tell you the truth, that is all the reward they will ever get. But when you pray, go away by yourself, shut the door behind you, and pray to your Father in private. Then your Father, who sees everything, will reward you.” (Matthew 6:5–6)

God wants our hearts to be in the right place. He knows that getting praise from other people will never completely satisfy us. The more we get, the more we want. He wants us to learn that real satisfaction in life comes from obeying Him and doing good for its own sake.