what's in it for me?

MICHELANGELO Buonarroti
Last Judgment
1537-41
Fresco, 1370 x 1220 cm
Cappella Sistina, Vatican

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Jesus said to his disciples:

“Take care not to perform righteous deeds in order that people may see them; otherwise, you will have no recompense from your heavenly Father. When you give alms, do not blow a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets to win the praise of others. Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right is doing, so that your almsgiving may be secret. And your Father who sees in secret will repay you.

“When you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, who love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on street corners so that others may see them. Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you pray, go to your inner room, close the door, and pray to your Father in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will repay you.

“When you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites. They neglect their appearance, so that they may appear to others to be fasting. Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, so that you may not appear to be fasting, except to your Father who is hidden. And your Father who sees what is hidden will repay you.”

Mt 6:1-6, 16-18

I know enough about Scripture that if Jesus repeats something twice, He wants our attention (i.e., "amen, amen I say to you...") If He says something three times -- three being the number of perfection -- He really wants us to *get it* What does He want us to understand in the above passage?

Not to get so full of ourselves that if we do something great, we are doing it for the praise of men, because if that is what we are in it for, guess what? That is all we will get. Nothing else from The Big Guy. Zip.

So we help the homeless -- if we are doing it so others will say "way to go, that's really cool" and get puffy from that, but think to ourselves "this will get me some major points in heaven, but I love hearing how great I am," that is not going to happen. At all.

Can you imagine if in the very end, when we are before the Judgment seat (and finished trembling while putting away our lists), we are told "Listen, when you did all that stuff 'for Me' (and Jesus is using His fingers making mock quotation marks in the air) and all your buddies were telling you how great you were and you loved every minute of it? That's it. That was your reward.......Next!"

Yikes.
Nothing else to look forward to?
That's it?!?

It does not have to be -- we are meant to have better than that -- if we do things for the glory of God and do not go for the bragging rights or the 'attaboys' (personal sin overcoming excluded, methinks), look at the promise: your Father who sees in secret will repay you. Does it not make you think "wow, I cannot wait to see what that will be!!"

Sweet!