Thank you for visiting. We trust that you have enjoyed reading our articles.
What Motivates You?
“All a person’s ways seem pure to them, but motives are weighed by the Lord” (Proverbs 16:2 NIV).
We typically won’t do anything unless we are motivated to do so. We take action based on a variety of motivations. Our motivations can be positive or negative. Some of the common negative motivators include pride, anger, revenge, entitlement, or the desire for approval or to impress others. These motivations are clearly negative and come from a sinful flesh and do not honor God (Romans 8:8).
Nothing is hidden from our Lord. He even evaluates the motivation of our hearts when we give offerings to Him (2 Corinthians 9:7). If we have selfish motives our prayers will be hindered. James
4:3 teaches us, “When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.” This is why it is so important for us to invite the Holy Spirit to search us and reveal our sins to us. I love the prayer of the Psalmist, “Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.”
The Bible has much to say about motives and many examples of people that took action based on sinful motives. In Genesis 4, Cain kills his brother Abel due to jealousy. Proverbs 16:2 reads, “All a person’s ways seem pure to them, but motives are weighed by the LORD.” The human heart can be deceitful, and we can rationalize to ourselves that are motives are pure. I suspect that Cain was convinced he was doing the right thing. We can fool ourselves and often those around us that we are pure of heart, generous, and kind, but God is “a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12).
So, what is a good motivation? The Apostle Paul demonstrated good motives to the Church in Thessalonica by writing, “We are not trying to please people but God, who tests our hearts” (1 Thessalonians 2:4). On becoming king of Israel, Solomon prays to our Lord: “Give your servant therefore an understanding mind to govern your people, able to discern between good and evil; for who can govern this your great people?” (1 Kings 3:9). Solomon was motivated by a sincere desire to discern good from evil rather than a desire to glorify himself. His prayer had power.
When we give the outward appearance of obeying God, but our hearts are hard we have not fooled God. The only way we can operate from pure motives is when we “walk in the Spirit” (Galatians 5:16, 25). When we allow Him to control every part of us, then our desire is to please Him and not ourselves. As we yield more of our heart to God, then we can approach our prayers with confidence and thanksgiving because we are both seeking the same things.
Prayer: Dear God: Thank you for loving us. Please continue to draw us closer to you. Help us to desire what you desire. Amen.
Meet the Author
Todd Shupe is a Men’s Ministry Specialist through the General Commission of United Methodist Men and is in training to be a Certified Lay Minister through the Louisiana Conference of the United Methodist Church. He currently serves as the President of the Baton Rouge District of United Methodist Men and is a Board Member for Gulf South Men and serves on the Action Team for The Kingdom Group. He is a volunteer for the Walk to Emmaus, Grace Camp, and Iron Sharpens Iron. Todd resides in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
We welcome your comments below.
Liked this post?
Read more below or search for more topics...
-
Who Is Responsible For My Salvation?
Who Is Responsible For My Salvation? “So then, each of us will give an account of ourselves to God” Romans 14:12 (NIV). Throughout the Bible we are encouraged whenever possible to live in peace with our neighbors. For example, Scripture teaches us to live in harmony (Romans 12:16), carry each other’s burdens (Galatians 6:2), and help others in need (Deuteronomy 15:11). Godly living calls us to turn the other cheek and returning evil with love. We have the ability, and the Christian joyful obligation, to positively impact each other’s spiritual lives. There is certainly strength in numbers. You may recall the Scripture... -
Forgiveness
Forgiveness "Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, "Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?" Jesus answered, "I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times" (Matthew 18:22 NIV). It is inevitable that we will accidentally hurt someone’s feelings, often of those who are closest to us, and need to ask for their forgiveness. Sometimes they are forgiven and, unfortunately, sometimes not. But what happens when the person who hurt us does not seek our forgiveness? In either case, we have a decision to make: Do we or do we... -
Finding The Voice Of God
Finding The Voice Of God “A third time the Lord called, ‘Samuel!’ And Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, ‘Here I am; you called me.’ Then Eli realized that the Lord was calling the boy. So Eli told Samuel, ‘Go and lie down, and if he calls you, say, Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.’ So Samuel went and lay down in his place. The Lord came and stood there, calling as at the other times, ‘Samuel! Samuel!’ Then Samuel said, ‘Speak, for your servant is listening.’” (1 Samuel 3:8-10 NIV). I have empathy for the young Eli in 1 Samuel 3. The Lord audibly...