What’s Your Motive?

Psalm 26:2 NLT — Put me on trial, LORD, and cross-examine me. Test my motives and my heart.

Why do you do the things you do?

That's the question we regularly need to ask ourselves. EVERYONE has a MOTIVE for EVERYTHING we do, regardless of whether we are consciously aware of it or not. The question we have to settle is, are my motives pure or self-seeking?

Do we do what we do for selfish ambition - attention, affirmation, ego, pride, envy, jealousy, covetousness, people-pleasing, IDOLATRY?

Is what I'm doing self-seeking? Do I expect to gain anything from what I'm doing? Will people pay attention to me? Will I be exalted by my friends or fellow believers?

One way to check this, is to consider this question. How long would I remain faithful to the task, if no person affirmed or praised me for what I'm doing? If I got no attention or acknowledgement, or no pat on the back with a "good job" - would I persist?

Or would I give up, feeling unappreciated and maybe even used or taken advantage of? Better yet, would I criticize myself for my "performance"?

Therein lies our motive.

Proverbs 16:2 NLT — People may be pure in their own eyes, but the LORD examines their motives.

Why we do something is more important to God, than what we do in the end. The “Why” behind what we do, reflects the current state of our heart.

You see, as a believer in Jesus Christ, anything we do for selfish gain is VANITY. Vanity is defined as excessive pride in one’s own appearance or achievements. It’s also defined as the quality of being worthless or futile - useless, pointless, FRUITLESS! Any way you look at it - it's not good!

If our motive for getting involved in anything - especially a ministry - is less than for the glory of God, it is vanity.

Jeremiah 17:10 NLT — But I, the LORD, search all hearts and examine secret motives. I give all people their due rewards, according to what their actions deserve.”

It is only thru earnestly seeking God’s direction that we can know that our motives are right.

When God put it on my heart to write my book, "Faith & Forgiveness", I allowed God to search my heart and to weed out any selfish ambition that I had hidden in the secret places. You see, I had learned years before that stepping into a ministry with the wrong motives leads to loss of peace and only brings stress and discontentment in my life.

I admit I was guilty of participating in a ministry with the wrong motives. The motive God revealed to me was people-pleasing. I agreed to enter a ministry only for fear of disappointing someone I admired. Sure, I had talents that could be used, and God did bless others by my participation, but He had not called me to that specific ministry. I began to begrudge my work in the ministry. I was discontent, and it showed! It always shows - eventually! When I agreed to do it, I didn’t ask God to search my heart, and I certainly didn’t question my own motives.

The result was that I struggled. Sure, God had blessed me with talent, but the sacrifice of time, and my self-critical attitude of my performance, only increased the stress. My efforts became fruitless (ie. powerless) in the end. He let me languish for some time, until I finally had enough, and sought help from the Almighty. I got a Spiritual spanking by God in the end, when He exposed my heart and motives to me. When that happened, I immediately stepped down and waited for God to give me direction to step into the ministries HE ORDAINED for me.

1 Thessalonians 2:4 NLT — For we speak as messengers approved by God to be entrusted with the Good News. Our purpose is to please God, not people. He alone examines the motives of our hearts.

I learned that when my motives are right, God is pleased. When God is pleased, my soul and spirit are at rest. We are just the vessel. When God has ordained it, He does the work thru us. Any power, in any ministry, is from God - NOT from the vessel. This is another step in dying to self.

1 Chronicles 29:17 NLT — I know, my God, that you examine our hearts and rejoice when you find integrity there. You know I have done all this with good motives...

I'm not trying to discourage anyone from stepping out to do good. I'm instead encouraging you to first, do some self-examination and more importantly, allow God to check your motives. Don’t let your sacrifice be in vain – don’t let it be FRUITLESS!

So my friend, before you say yes, seek God’s counsel and ask Him to reveal your heart and root out any self-seeking motives.

Let's go a step further: before you post the next message to social media, question yourself, will this bring God glory or am I doing this for attention? Before you volunteer to pray, ask yourself, why am I volunteering; is this my need for attention or to be heard? Before you give counsel to a brother or sister, ask yourself, is there anything for me to gain from this?

If the answer is yes to any those questions, STOP in your tracks! Take it to God and ask for His help to correct your motives.

Ask God to reveal the real you!

You see, we can hide behind good intentions and we can hide from man – but no one can hide from God. Prayer invites the Holy Spirit into your heart and allows Him to be the change agent that He is. Only proceed when you know, that you know, that God is moving you to proceed.

Only God can change our hearts! Only God can give us the right motives!

Father, even as I prepare to post this blog, I ask you to search my heart and reveal to me anything that is not right in my motives behind writing this. Let these words quicken the hearts of all who read them – including myself – so that what we do and say will bring you honor and glory! I give you all the praise! In Jesus name! Amen

Verses to ponder: 1 Corinthians 4:5 NLT — So don’t make judgments about anyone ahead of time—before the Lord returns. For he will bring our darkest secrets to light and will reveal our private motives. Then God will give to each one whatever praise is due.

Philippians 1:17 NLT — Those others do not have pure motives as they preach about Christ. They preach with selfish ambition, not sincerely...

James 4:3 NLT — And even when you ask, you don’t get it because your motives are all wrong—you want only what will give you pleasure.

Quotes: "But I cannot, by direct moral effort, give myself new motives. After the first few steps in the Christian life we realize that everything which really needs to be done in our souls can be done only by God.” Mere Christianity by CS Lewis

Picture by Sharon Fox Photography