What Do You Seek?

“And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up” (Gal. 6:9).

The Bible speaks of rewards as a compelling motivation—Heaven, blessings, eternal life—and calls every man to seek these things in Christ (Eph. 1:3).

Equally important to God is not just what we seek, but why we seek it. Jesus warns against doing good JUST to be seen by man (Matt. 6:1-4), and Paul reminds us that love is sacrificial, not self-seeking (1 Cor. 13:5). Christians must continue to do good even when they suffer for it (1 Pet. 2:20-21). Yes, eternal reward is a motivator to endure (Heb. 11:6), but God cares about our motives. Actions driven by love, truth, and holiness—even without any earthly reward—are what He desires.

Regardless of how the world responds, we know that:

• God sees (Matt. 6:4).

• God remembers (Heb. 6:10).

• And God rewards in His time—often in eternity (2 Cor. 5:10).

There’s always an ultimate reward for the faithful, and even material blessings along the way; but God wants our hearts to be motivated by love, trust, and obedience—not by what we get out of it from an earthly angle.

Jesus said: “When you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing…and your Father who sees in secret will reward you” (Matt. 6:3-4). You may not get recognition or applause, but God still sees, and promises eternal reward.

Two things can be true at once—a faithful Christian can look forward to his heavenly reward—even strive for it, without it being a mercenary affair.

In fact, Scripture affirms this kind of motivation as faithful and commendable.

Take Hebrews 11:26, for instance, speaking of Moses:

“He considered the reproach of Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking to the reward.”

Moses sacrificed earthly comfort, privilege, and riches because he desired something better—God’s reward. The text doesn’t criticize him for that. It actually praises his faith for it (Heb. 11:24–26). His motivation wasn't greed, but faith in the promises of God.

It’s similar with Paul, who said:

“I have fought the good fight…There is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord…will award to me on that Day…” (2 Tim. 4:7–8).

Jesus also points us to eternal reward as a motivation:

“Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in Heaven…” (Matt. 5:12).

The key difference is where the heart is. Mercenary religion says, “I serve only because I get something.” A faithful Christian says, “I serve because I love God, trust Him, and believe His promises—including the reward He offers.”

It's not either you truly love God OR you're just trying to get the reward.

A Christian can AND should:

• Serve God out of love and trust.

• Strive for the reward He promises.

• Be completely sincere—not selfish.

God isn’t offended when we desire what He’s promised—He’s glorified by it, because it shows we believe Him.

Where we can get ourselves into trouble is doing right things for wrong reasons or, we might say, for the wrong rewards.

Take, for instance, a man compelled by an earthly reward as in Matt. 6—"to be seen by men," and another man compelled by a spiritual reward based on the promise of God. Sacrifice may be involved in both cases (in the strict sense of giving something up), like, going without food in fasting. Yet, what is given up is done for an earthly, immediate reward as opposed to one who is willing to truly sacrifice in order to have fellowship with God in eternity (Matt. 6:16) .

In other words, two people can perform the same action (like fasting, giving, or praying), while the motive and anticipated reward be radically different.

Two men may both fast, but only one may be truly sacrificing. The other is just jockeying for a quick payout in public approval.

A person might truly give something up—time, food, comfort—but if it’s done for self-glory, it’s NOT biblical sacrifice in God’s eyes. It’s selfish.

True biblical sacrifice is:

• Done out of faith (Rom. 12:1).

• Motivated by love for God (1 Cor. 13:3).

• Looks to spiritual reward—not in the mercenary sense, but treasure in Heaven.

In Matt. 6:1–6, 16–18, Jesus warns against doing good deeds for an earthly, immediate, human reward like praise, recognition, or admiration. It’s a transaction: “I give something up, and people think I’m holy.” Jesus says plainly, “They have received their reward” (Matt. 6:2, 5, 16). That’s it. Nothing more.

To help us avoid going down this road, He calls for:

• Secrecy (don’t sound the trumpet, v. 2)

• Sincerity (pray to your Father alone, v. 6)

• Spirituality (look forward to heavenly things, v. 4)

That’s not a rejection of reward—it’s a redirection to the right kind of reward: Fellowship with God, His approval, and the eternal blessings He promises (Matt. 5:12; Heb. 11:6).

Moses, and all others in Heb. 11 serve as an example:

“By faith he left Egypt, not being afraid of the anger of the king, for he endured as seeing him who is invisible” (Heb. 11:27).

He gave up everything visible—for Someone invisible. That’s faith-driven sacrifice. It’s the same with Paul: “I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord” (Phil. 3:8).

All human behavior is ultimately reward-driven, but not all humans seek the same rewards.

Biblically, people are always seeking something—even if they don’t call it a “reward.”

They may be after:

• Approval (Jn. 12:43)

• Pleasure (2 Tim 3:4)

• Security, comfort, meaning, or fulfillment

• In the case of the faithful, God Himself (Ps. 42:1-2; Phil. 3:8).

What differs is:

• What they seek.

• Why they seek it.

• Where they believe it can be found.

“Do not labor for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life” (Jn. 6:27).

People in the context of Jn. 6 were already laboring for earthly bread (an immediate reward). Jesus redirects them to seek a better reward—eternal life through Him.

Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also (Matt. 6:19-21).

Not all rewards are equal—some are fleeting (earthly), others are eternal (spiritual).

Not all motives are godly—some are selfish, while others are shaped by faith and love (Gal. 5:6).

Those who seek the right reward for the right reason find that doing so is a reward in itself. Namely, the blessed assurance of doing what is right in God's sight out of loyalty, trust, love, and conviction—"Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them" (Jn. 13:17).

Peace with God

“Great peace have those who love your law; nothing can make them stumble” ( Ps. 119:165).

“The work of righteousness will be peace, and the effect of righteousness, quietness and assurance forever” (Is. 32:17).

Those who walk with God enjoy peace and spiritual reward in the present—even amid suffering or sacrifice.

Joy in Obedience

“I delight to do your will, O my God; your law is within my heart” (Ps. 40:8).

“If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them” (Jn. 13:17).

There’s blessing in the doing itself, not just in what is promised later.

God Himself as the Reward

“I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward” (Gen 15:1).

“Whom have I in heaven but You? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides You” (Ps. 73:25).

This points to the highest kind of reward: fellowship with God Himself.

Doing the will of God—from love, trust, and loyalty—is never without reward, neither in the doing of it or in the final outcome. We always find:

• His peace (Phil. 4:7)

• His fellowship (Jn. 14:23)

• His assurance (Rom. 8:16)

• His joy (Jn. 15:11)

• His approval (Matt. 25:21)

Notice, from a biblical standpoint, there's no such thing as the reward of God-glorifying satisfaction existing apart from a heavenly reward.

What I mean is this: those who find reward IN DOING God's will inevitably gain the reward FOR DOING God's will (Heb. 6:10; Matt. 10:42; Col. 3:23-34; Jn. 13:17).

He doesn’t want us to reject reward, but pursue the right reward (Him) and pursue it for the right reason.

God built us to be motivated by His promises, to seek them in Him, and He’s glorified when we seek Him as our greatest reward (Gen. 15:1; Ps. 73:25–26).

What are you seeking? Eternal life in Christ or the passing pleasures of sin?

For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh, the desires of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not from the Father but from the world. The world is passing away, along with its desires; but whoever does the will of God remains forever (1 Jn. 2:16-17).