Mercy. Early in my faith walk I was ignorant about the imperative to insert my motives–the soul’s compass–into the daily conversation I was having with God. Into my thoughts. Into my attitude. Into my behavior.
mo·tive: A reason for doing something, especially one that is hidden or not obvious.
This notion of motives zoomed to the surface of my thoughts yesterday while I was working with a group of dedicated servants of Christ on plans to reach the hundreds of millions who do not know Jesus.
There were eight of us and you could sense an underlying stream of motivations from start to finish. That’s not a bad thing. That is LIFE.
The cool part about yesterday was how everyone seemed to be taking the parade of motivations aside to measure them against THE standard–pleasing God and building his Kingdom.
That is exactly what God wants believers to do.
Any and all conversations we have with God—and what is possible to learn from him–are compromised if they do not include our motivation.
The act of seeking God’s standards and hope for our life is not a transactional, linear exercise absent our motives which color and influence everything. We must be intentional about weaving our motives into the fabric of our prayer heartbeat and our faith walk’s footprint.
Motivation is the WHY behind what we think, say, and do. God knows if we’re dishonest about our WHY. We may present a façade that suggests we are in true alignment with God, but if we have a selfish heart, he knows.
In the end, it boils down to this question:
DOES IT PLEASE GOD? (1 Thessalonians 2:4)
For me, I ask God to help me be in constant touch with the motivation behind what I think, say, and do.
WHAT ABOUT YOU?
Are you bringing your motives into your prayer life and daily conversations with God?
“All a person’s ways seem pure to them, but motives are weighed by the Lord.” Proverbs 16:2
