Expecting rewards for doing right

2 Kings 5 tells of Naaman being healed of a skin affliction by the prophet Elisha. Naaman, ecstatic to be healed, attempts to offer Elisha a gift as a show of gratitude. But Elisha answers (2 Kings 5:16, NLT),

As surely as the LORD lives, whom I serve, I will not accept any gifts.

Had Elisha accepted a gift, that acceptance would have signaled that Elisha did something worthy of praise. But Elisha correctly interprets that any seemingly righteous action, whether supernatural or not, comes from God, the creator of all righteousness. Reading between the lines, Naaman should have offered his gift directly to God. And since God does not want our materialistic possessions, that gift should have been one of humble praise.

On a more general note, in this midst of our sinning, if we happen to do something righteous, we should not suddenly expect some sort of reward. Rather, as Jesus says in Luke 17:10 (NLT),

When you obey me you should say, 'We are unworthy servants who have simply done our duty.'

Simply put, we must obey God, and realize that harmony with him is reward enough!