SOnTheM 22

"Be careful not to do your acts of righteousness before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven. So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you." Matthew 6:1-4

Jesus is saying here that we should not perform good deeds so that others will see us and think we are good people. After all, we are all beggars at the foot of God's door, right? If you do good deeds so that others will think good of you, then God will not reward you, for you have already received the reward you wanted--the approval of men, which pales in comparison with pleasing the Father.
But wait! Doesn't Jesus also say to let our light shine before men? Yes, but He says to let our light shine before men so that they may see our good deeds AND GLORIFY OUR FATHER IN HEAVEN (Matthew 5:14-16).

Don't do good deeds to gain the approval of men. Do them to glorify God.

May you seek to be righteous today, so that others will see you and glorify your Father in Heaven.