Are we seeking God’s reward, or just the approval of others? True spiritual growth doesn’t happen on a stage, but in secret—when our devotion is for God’s eyes alone. Message based on Matthew 6:1-6,16-18 Quotes: John Piper: As God sanctifies us, we are doing better. We are growing closer to Christ. St. John of the Cross: In general the soul makes greater progress when it least thinks so… most frequently when it imagines that it is losing. Duane Brooks: When we practice our righteousness privately, our Father sees us and will reward us. D.A. Carson: The way to avoid hypocrisy is not to stop giving but to do so secretly so that we ourselves don’t know what we have given. John Davidson: It is not how loud you shout or how high you jump but how straight you walk when you hit the ground.