Jesus often taught the importance of having correct motives, the need for our hearts to be correct and not just our actions. This reinforced the Old Testament prophets who taught that even sacrificing in the temple wasn’t good if one’s heart wasn’t right. The ancient Israelites found this out when, despite their proper sacrifices, God was not blessing them because of unfaithful hearts.
All the ways of a man are pure in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the spirit (motives). Proverbs 16:2 (ESV)
If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing. 1 Corinthians 13:1-3 (ESV)
For we are not, like so many, peddlers of God’s word, but as men of sincerity, as commissioned by God, in the sight of God we speak in Christ. 2 Corinthians 2:17 (ESV)
In these verses, we see how important it is to always check our motives, and this is no less true when speaking of Christ. It may be that God will honor words spoken to proclaim Him for the benefit of the unbelievers who hear, but if we want to truly walk in the benefits of obedience ourselves, then we need to check our own hearts.
In particular, if we want God’s blessings for the work of proclaiming Jesus, as we request in the prayers in this devotional, then we need to check our hearts as we did at the beginning of this series and recognize that we need to reflect God’s heart of love ourselves.
Not only that, but as Paul implies in the last verse, we should avoid improper motives like seeking our own gain, using the gospel as a way of enriching ourselves. It’s not that accepting money for related work is wrong, but that doing so must not be our motivation for proclaiming God’s word. The same can be said for having fun, drawing attention to ourselves, and any other motivation that the world finds good.
Since there are many other ways, in addition to these, to be wrongly motivated, it can be a constant struggle to keep the correct focus. As in all things, we need to pray for God’s Spirit to form our hearts.
Father, continue to grow within me your heart of love for people who are far from you, and guard me from any improper motives of my own. Show me any ways in which my motives are wrong, and lead me to change them.
Exploring Antioch 