What's going on here?

I have already gone on record as not being real into the rewards thing.

But, it’s in the Scripture, so it’s good. I get it.

Perhaps I just see that, personally, it runs into one of my sundry weak areas, and I could easily get into doing the right things for the wrong reason.

But this morning I ran into it in—of all places—a conversation about praying. The mountain sermon says, “Don’t show off at church or on the street corners waxing eloquent so as to impress the onlookers…”

OK, that is cool, I like it. But then it continues: people who pray like that have already received their reward.

WAIT! STOP!

What’s going on here?

What reward? Who prays for a reward?

Why are rewards even thrown into the pot?

I pray to exalt Him, I pray to let Him know just how thankful I am, I pray to ask of Him, some for me, some for others.

But, rewards?

No, it makes no sense to me.