What Is Your Motive?
So I'm reading my daily Proverbs this morning and Provers 16:2 says...
People may be pure in their own eyes,
but the Lord examines their motives
What is a motive? Dictionary.com defines it as "the goal or object of a person's actions." A person's way seems right in his own opinion, but the Lord actually judges the REASONS. He goes off of what is just and judges by truth. I read an example on someone wanting to get rid of things they no longer wanted in their home & bunch of clothes in their closet but not necessarily wanting to do a yard sale. So instead they drive over to the nearest Salvation Army and drop them off and go on about their day. Did they probably help out someone in need? Yes... was that their intention? No. They did it because they didn't feel like having a yard sale. Same goes for those that "donate" to a charity when tax season is approaching. Did they help a cause? Yes. Was that their motive? No. After reading this, I decided to read a little bit more about what the Bible says about "motives" and it's interesting to see that it is actually mentioned quite a few times all through out.
I know everyone has heard "Ask and you shall receive" or "You do not have, because you have not asked" but did you know there is also another scripture that simply says "When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives"?
When you pray, don't just think about what you're asking for but ask yourself "why am I asking for this?" What do I hope to gain from this and is whatever I will gain right in God's eyes?
Reading this also reminded me of something I had read couple months back and I do not remember exactly what chapter it was but I believe it was in the book of Matthew. It said that when we give to those in need, give it in private because the Father sees everything and He will reward you.
I think alot of people seek the Glory of men when we should be seeking the Glory of God. I don't think the Bible tells us to hide our good works per se... I think God is asking us to be humble, do not seek attention, and once again... have good motives behind doing what we're doing.
So I ask you.. next time you find yourself doing a good deed, praying/asking for something, or simply portraying yourself to be something you are not... think about your motives and reevaluate yourself if something doesn't seem right. Keep in mind, God sees what men cannot and once again I remind you that He judges us by the REASONS behind our actions... and what is in our hearts.
Created about 2 years ago
