Motives

Bible Reading: Matthew 6:1-6

I read the Bible when I was young because I was asked to read.  After coming to know the Lord in my teens, I started studying the Bible.  But my motive was to win prizes in Bible Quizzes, not to know the will of God for my life.  My action was right, but my motive was not!  The word motive is derived from the same Latin root as the word 'motion.'  It means 'that which causes something to move.'  Our motives are the thoughts, desires, and fears that motivate us to act as we do.  The reason for concern with motives is that wrong motives lead to bad actions!  If we desire to see real change in our lives, our motives have to be brought into obedience to God's Word.  

God is not only concerned about what we do (action) but also why we do what we do (motive).  When David took the census, God's punishment was severe.  The action of the census by itself was not wrong.  But David's motive was wrong.  It was his pride that moved him to number his subjects.  God cares more about the motive than action!  Proverbs 16:2 says, "All the ways of a man are pure in his own eyes, but the LORD weighs the spirits."  

How can we understand our real motive?

We sometimes take somebody to task for a small matter.  The real reason behind that may be that we do not like that person.  Personal grievances would be the actual cause of our behavior rather than what they had done that day.  We sometimes manipulate the people around us to our benefit.  If we really search our hearts, the real motive behind our every action can be clearly seen!

Remember, nothing is hidden from the Lord.  Our God is an all-seeing and all-knowing God.  The Psalmist says, “He knows our thoughts from afar”  (Psalm 139:2).  Matthew 6:1 starts with the word "Take heed," which can also be translated as be on guard.  We must continually determine the motives behind what we do because the Lord will also judge us for our motives.

My friend, pure motives are only possible as we surrender our lives to the Spirit.  As we allow the Spirit to control us, we will genuinely desire to please God and not ourselves.  Let us surrender our hearts to the Holy Spirit today, for God's work of sanctification continually changes us to be more like Jesus!

Prayer: Lord Jesus, take control of my heart today that I may live only to please You in all that I do.  Amen.

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