What's your Motive?
Motive is something very important. Especially if you find yourself being accused of a crime? Then the important question would be "Did you have motive to commit such crime?"
Everyday we are faced with motives, but we usually find ourselves focusing on other's motives and not so much on our own...
"Why did that person look at me like that?"
"Is this a real bargain or are they taking me?"
"Why did my hubby bring me flowers today?"
The other day I was reading James and something really stuck out in a verse I have read a million times before.
5If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. 6But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. 7That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; 8he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does.
James 1:5-8 (New International Version)
What was so interesting in my mind was the idea of the "doubt". Before as I have read this, I thought that the "doubt" was "Does God want me to have wisdom or not?" But this time I heard it this way: "But when he asks, he must believe (that this is something he really wants) and not doubt." Do you see the difference?
The doubt comes more from our motive. If we REALLY want to have that wisdom or not.
"With great wisdom comes great responsibility."
Actually I think the real quote says "With great power", but you get my drift.
If our motive is pure and our motivatioin is spiritual growth, then there will be no doubt in our mind. Kinda like the persistent widow of Luke 18:2-5
2He said: "In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared about men. 3And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, 'Grant me justice against my adversary.'
4"For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, 'Even though I don't fear God or care about men, 5yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won't eventually wear me out with her coming!' "
The woman's motive was pure and her certainty that she was in the right motivated her to insist on justice. There was no doubt in her mind.
Another good example of motive is the Parable of Two Sons in Matthew 21:28-30 (New American Standard Bible)
Parable of Two Sons
28 ...A man had two sons, and he came to the first and said, 'Son, go work today in the (A)vineyard.'
29"And he answered, 'I will not'; but afterward he regretted it and went.
30"The man came to the second and said the same thing; and he answered, 'I will, sir'; but he did not go.
What is interesting here is that the first son, who originally said "no" to his father's request, was motivated by regrett and in the end pleased his father with his decision to obey. I think it was with pure motive, not a regrett of "Oh, well, I better just go ahead and do it.."
He was truly sorry that he had told his father "no" and was moved to change his mind.
His motive was pure. Something the Isrealites left behind as seen in Isaiah Ch.1
"13 Stop bringing meaningless offerings!
Your incense is detestable to me.
New Moons, Sabbaths and convocations—
I cannot bear your evil assemblies.
14 Your New Moon festivals and your appointed feasts
my soul hates.
They have become a burden to me;
I am weary of bearing them.
15 When you spread out your hands in prayer,
I will hide my eyes from you;
even if you offer many prayers,
I will not listen.
Your hands are full of blood;"
Their motive was no longer pure, and their motivation was no longer repentance. The Lord turned to them and said, (Hosea 6:6 (New International Version)
6 For I desire mercy, not sacrifice,
and acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings.
What the Lord desires in us is a pure motive, a pure heart.
Psalm 51:17
The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.
Sometimes we get so wound up in daily life, monotonous rutines, and basicly think-less tasks, that we need to reflect and check if our motive is pure. Why are we doing the things we do? Are we just going with the flow of daily rutine, or are we living our lives with pure motive and motivated by the Spirit?
Many days we are just going with the flow.
To maintain a pure motive, I believe it is crucial wake up each morning and remember:
Col. 3:23-24... "23Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, 24since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving."
Doing this we will eagerly dedicate our day and our activities to the Lord with pure motive.
Everyday we are faced with motives, but we usually find ourselves focusing on other's motives and not so much on our own...
"Why did that person look at me like that?"
"Is this a real bargain or are they taking me?"
"Why did my hubby bring me flowers today?"
The other day I was reading James and something really stuck out in a verse I have read a million times before.
5If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. 6But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. 7That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; 8he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does.
James 1:5-8 (New International Version)
What was so interesting in my mind was the idea of the "doubt". Before as I have read this, I thought that the "doubt" was "Does God want me to have wisdom or not?" But this time I heard it this way: "But when he asks, he must believe (that this is something he really wants) and not doubt." Do you see the difference?
The doubt comes more from our motive. If we REALLY want to have that wisdom or not.
"With great wisdom comes great responsibility."
Actually I think the real quote says "With great power", but you get my drift.
If our motive is pure and our motivatioin is spiritual growth, then there will be no doubt in our mind. Kinda like the persistent widow of Luke 18:2-5
2He said: "In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared about men. 3And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, 'Grant me justice against my adversary.'
4"For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, 'Even though I don't fear God or care about men, 5yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won't eventually wear me out with her coming!' "
The woman's motive was pure and her certainty that she was in the right motivated her to insist on justice. There was no doubt in her mind.
Another good example of motive is the Parable of Two Sons in Matthew 21:28-30 (New American Standard Bible)
Parable of Two Sons
28 ...A man had two sons, and he came to the first and said, 'Son, go work today in the (A)vineyard.'
29"And he answered, 'I will not'; but afterward he regretted it and went.
30"The man came to the second and said the same thing; and he answered, 'I will, sir'; but he did not go.
What is interesting here is that the first son, who originally said "no" to his father's request, was motivated by regrett and in the end pleased his father with his decision to obey. I think it was with pure motive, not a regrett of "Oh, well, I better just go ahead and do it.."
He was truly sorry that he had told his father "no" and was moved to change his mind.
His motive was pure. Something the Isrealites left behind as seen in Isaiah Ch.1
"13 Stop bringing meaningless offerings!
Your incense is detestable to me.
New Moons, Sabbaths and convocations—
I cannot bear your evil assemblies.
14 Your New Moon festivals and your appointed feasts
my soul hates.
They have become a burden to me;
I am weary of bearing them.
15 When you spread out your hands in prayer,
I will hide my eyes from you;
even if you offer many prayers,
I will not listen.
Your hands are full of blood;"
Their motive was no longer pure, and their motivation was no longer repentance. The Lord turned to them and said, (Hosea 6:6 (New International Version)
6 For I desire mercy, not sacrifice,
and acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings.
What the Lord desires in us is a pure motive, a pure heart.
Psalm 51:17
The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.
Sometimes we get so wound up in daily life, monotonous rutines, and basicly think-less tasks, that we need to reflect and check if our motive is pure. Why are we doing the things we do? Are we just going with the flow of daily rutine, or are we living our lives with pure motive and motivated by the Spirit?
Many days we are just going with the flow.
To maintain a pure motive, I believe it is crucial wake up each morning and remember:
Col. 3:23-24... "23Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, 24since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving."
Doing this we will eagerly dedicate our day and our activities to the Lord with pure motive.
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