People can see from two different angles: the Flesh and the Spirit.
People have their own spirits. Those who follow Christ are encouraged to exercise their senses,
to lean upon the Lord and let Him create a new heart from within.
In the old testament, God gave His people instructions on things that would help them to follow Him closely.
God was not limited in the ways that He commanded His people to serve Him.
Throughout all of the Old Testament, He reminded them of choosing Him and not themselves.
Though some of the commands were outward, such as the burnt offerings which all had a representation of the inward man.
Some would look holy on the outside, but God always looks on the heart.
He sees deeply into the thoughts and the intentions. He is not fooled.
Circumcision was considered one such outward proclamation of dedication to God.
God also said to Abraham, “You must keep My covenant—you and your descendants in the generations after you.
This is My covenant with you and your descendants after you, which you are to keep:
Every male among you must be circumcised.
You are to circumcise the flesh of your foreskin, and this will be a sign of the covenant between Me and you.
Genesis 17:9-11
While it was a covenant between God and His people, it was not just an outward symbol.
Gpd always wants hearts dedicated to Him.
And the Lord thy God will circumcise thine heart, and the heart of thy seed,
to love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, that thou mayest live. Deuteronomy 30:6
Circumcise yourselves to the Lord, and take away the foreskins of your heart,
ye men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem: lest my fury come forth like fire, and burn that none can quench it,
because of the evil of your doings. Jeremiah 4:4
Even today, there are outward acts of obedience to God and there are those that honor God from the heart.
Obligation is one such variance. If we are obligated to humans to do something,
but it is not out of obedience to the Lord or done unto the Lord,
it is not optimal. We do what we do to serve the Lord in fullness and love for Him
and our brethren and even for the sake of helping others, but God is always looking on the heart.
Ask yourself:
What are my intentions?
For what purpose am I doing this thing?
Who am I trying to impress?
Who gets the glory?
Remain humble before the Lord Jesus and let Him have the glory.
Jesus said to those who seek the glory of men for themselves:
Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee,
as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men.
Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. Matthew 6:2
A reward from a human or even many humans seems to be a pretty empty reward
when compared to an eternal Heavenly reward.
Two ways to look at things, two different angles.