3 Nephi 13:1

"Verily, verily, I say that I would that ye should do alms unto the poor; but take heed that ye do not your alms before men to be seen of them; otherwise ye have no reward of your Father who is in heaven."
3 Nephi 13:1


Our motivations matter.  If we do the "right" thing for the wrong reasons, then we still have work to do.  I think it is okay to start that way, if we are trying to learn, but eventually we have to unite body and spirit in the service of God.  Just like loving God and wishing we were better is good, but not enough... acting good without that desire is not enough.  We have to love God, want to serve him, and then actually do it. :)  If we are good because we think our parents are going to freak out, that isn't good enough.  If we are good because that way we'll get a date with someone who admires us, that isn't good enough.   We get rewards for both of those, but not from God.  Someday, no matter how we learn... starting with the motivation or the action... we have to get to the point where we are making choices because we love those choices, and we are happier when we do the right things.  It's part of learning to be whole rather than divided within ourselves... so, let's continue learning. :)