I used to think that there was no way God was monitoring my motives…and I was WRONG.
I learned this lesson the hard way while living without considering my motives each day when I checked in with God. It took me several years to figure out that those conversations with the Lord of Heaven and earth are compromised if we do not include our motivation.
Why? Because when we do include our motives, God can rule “right or wrong” by benchmarking it against HIS standard. Then…if we embrace, believe, and commit to those standards, he will direct and bless us according to them.
Because the human heart is deceitful (Jeremiah 17:9), we can easily fool ourselves and mistakenly think our actions are Godly when, in fact, they emanate from a place of deep and dark selfishness.
Yes, it will be a life-long journey and perpetual struggle to deal with the motives challenge, but the pay-off is worth the pain.
How do we pull off that seemingly impossible task?
- Surrender our heart to the Holy Spirit and pray about our motives.
- Repent of poor motives even if the sin is hard to identify or pinpoint.
- Look to the Cross of Christ and the Word of God for discernment.
Here is my 3-Point “Motivation Evaluator” . . .
- If doing the right thing was invisible to others and without any “payoff,” would I still do it?
- Am I doing the “right thing” according to God’s Word because of how it makes me feel?
- If the people I serve or support with Christian love never acknowledge it, will I continue?
I ask God to help me discern what he would do with my motives.
WHAT ABOUT YOU?
When was the last time you went to God and tested your MOTIVES?
“All a person’s ways seem pure to them, but motives are weighed by the LORD.” Proverbs 16:2
