Summary: When we serve with a pure heart, God gets the glory.
Matthew 5:16 instructs “In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”
As one who has served for years in ministry, I know what it is like. Our efforts in ministry can be done with right motives. Our efforts in ministry, however, can be for self-exaltation. Your good works ARE shining. It is, however, a matter of who gets the spotlight.
When we serve with a pure heart, God gets glory. Our good works can be evidence that points toward God. Or our good works can crave the spotlight, wanting all eyes to be upon us. God wants our good works to be seen. He wants them to be placed upon a hilltop. He wants them placed on a stand for all to see and benefit. But the goal and benefit is for people to see the Lord more clearly.
Would you feel jealous if your efforts were utterly unnoticed and yet, as a result, someone longed more for God? Sadly, my head knows the answer but my heart wants credit on earth.
Today, be mindful of the directionality of your good works. Assume a mental posture, today, that allows others to see good works and associate those works with God’s love for them.