There are times when we live to be noticed by others. There are moments when the thing we want most is to be honored and admired by others. Unfortunately, seeking to please others will always come at the expense of pleasing God. We should always keep in mind that pleasing God and pleasing others are mutually incompatible aims.
There are various reasons why we try to live for others and not for God. One valid reason is that we desire to be admired by others. We want to be noticed and honored just like the Pharisees in Matthew 6:1-5. They give to the needy to be seen and praised by others. They live for the admiration of others. Sadly, admiration from others poisons our souls when our outward behavior does not correspond to our hearts. We may behave righteously on the outside but have corrupt hearts on the inside. The Pharisees even prayed to be heard and admired by people. Let’s be honest with ourselves. Aren’t we all guilty? There are times in our lives that we pray to be heard by others. There are times when we are more conscious of what others will hear from us say rather than what God sees in our hearts.
What do we do when the desire to be admired sets in? Jesus commands us to do things in secret in Matthew 6. He said this not in a legalistic tone. He did not mean to say that we should not pray publicly and do good deeds publicly. What Jesus meant was that we should do things as though we are doing before the eyes of the One who sees all our intentions; the One who ultimately rewards us for our deeds. Let us train ourselves to cultivate divine awareness. Let us always remind ourselves that we are truly in the presence of God. And we should act as though God is watching us because He really does. Let us kill the desire to be admired by others with something greater: pleasing the audience of One who truly matters. Let us live for Him alone and not for ourselves and others because we are created for His glory and not any lesser aims in life.
Every good word and deed done for the praise of men will just go to waste. Jesus said in Matthew 6:1 that we will never have rewards from our Father in heaven. The admiration of God is the only admiration that matters. Praise be to God we are eternally admired because we are in Christ. God delights in us because Christ stands between us and God. Let us do things in the name of Christ before the face of God. Let us not mind what other think of us, knowing that it would not matter in the judgment seat of God.
By grace alone 