Matthew 6:1

God not only cares about what you do but why you do it. Once we put our faith in Jesus he will teach us how to live a pleasing life to God. But it is crucial that our motives be right if we want to love God well.

The bible says "Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them". In other words, if you seek acknowledgment and recognition whenever you do good works, your motives are not in the right place.

Be in-tune and sensitive to your inner motivations. Be careful not to fall into the trap of doing things for self-recognition. If you're honest with yourself you will be aware when you are doing something for selfish reasons.

And to have good motives we must have a pure heart and make the choice to be selfless. We are in control, we just need to take control!