Motives Matter

Motives matter. We can be doing the right thing for the wrong reasons. If I bear the Fruit of the Spirit like self control or practice the commandment "love thy nieghbir" out of obligation, out of fear of the flames of hell, then I am motivated by fear not love. God who is Jesus can see right through us qnd if our reason for observing a feast, like the one of this season is because we fear condemnation and so only show charity out of wanting to care for state of our own soul qnd not for the lost souls, does that not mean we are uncharitable? Jesus said of a woman, "For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on." (Mark 12:44). The religious leaders were giving to be seen, focused on themselves, the woman because she wanted to honor God. It can become easy to make religion about yourself, rather than about the Redeeming One. Our hearts can betray our actions, because our motives are not right. The apostlr paul said, "If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. And if I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I surrender my body to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing." (1 Corinthians 13:1-3). We are bankrupt if our deeds towards God and others is not from love of God and love of people (Luke 10:27). If our hearts feel hate but our hands say grace, we are liars and hypocrites, "Their malice (hatred) may be concealed by deception, but their wickedness will be exposed in the assembly." (Proverbs 26:26). The Pslamist says, "A psalm of David. LORD, who may dwell in your sacred tent? Who may live on your holy mountain? He who walks with integrity, and works righteousness, And speaks truth in his heart." (Pslam 15:1-2, NIV and NASB). If you heart says no and your hands say yes, if you do something with resentment or out of obligation and not from a genuine desire, you have no integrity. 

Jesus says of Pharisees, "So you must be careful to do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach," (Matthew 23:3). Christ is claiming that these Pharisess have no integrity, they say follow the Law strictly but they do not. They threaten to stone adulterers, but have prostitutes for priests. "They tie up heavy, cumbersome loads and put them on other people's shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them." (Matthew 23:4). Hypocrisy like hippos makes people heavy, because the heart does not match the hand of action. Jesus came and was crucified because of love, "For God so loved the world that he sent His Only Begotten Son..," (John 3:16) and "But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." (Romans 5:8). God's motive was love because He is love (1 John 4:8). In same way our motive for doing works of righteousness should stem from love of the Lord (Matthew 23:36-40), love of our nieghbor (Mark 12:31), love our enemy (Matthew 5:44), and love of one another (John 13:34). Love wants to do it, obligation says its my duty to do it and begrudges it silently in the soul. But eventually someone under resentment and guilt trips is going to let their heart reveal itself, as St Jerome said, "The face is the mirror of the mind, and eyes without speaking confess the secrets of the heart." Jerome was referring to Jesus' own words, "The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light," (Matthew 6:22), and, "Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eyes are healthy, your whole body also is full of light. But when they are unhealthy, your body also is full of darkness." (Luke 1:34). Our motives and more are found in the globes on either sides of our nose. You may be able to decieve with words the intentions of your heart and hide how you really feel with figures of speech and finger gestures; but the eyes will reveals what eats at your inner self. 

Being honest with The Holy Trinity and Human Race is the best policy. For God sees your heart, "Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart." (1 Samuel 16:7), and "I the LORD search the heart and examine the mind, to reward each person according to their conduct, according to what their deeds deserve." (Jeremiah 17:10). Before you can even utter your prayer, the Lord knows, "Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him." (Matthew 6:8). There will come a day when all you have hidden will be exposed, "For nothing is hidden that will not be made manifest, nor is anything secret that will not be known and come to light," (Luke 8:17, cross ref Matthew 10:26, Luke 12:2, Mark 4:22). In church and the coperate world we wear masks. We try to put our best outfit on, when we normally wear rags ; we want to make a good inpression with our filtered self on facebook, when in reality our heart is fractured and our lives lonely. We learn to lie, we stuff the real motives; I want to be liked, loved, accepted, understood, and cared for under pretensions and propriety. We lie like the Pharisee say, "Lord I am blessed, for I have not sinned, I am not like this tax collector," when we know we really are and should say, "To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else, Jesus told this parable:  “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. ¹² I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’“But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’“I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.” (Luke 18:9-14). The reason is two fold, the oharisee's motives were wrong, firstly he was proud and Gid, "Gid hates the proud man," () and he was a liar, he had no integrity in his heart (Psalm 15:1-2). 

We cannot hide our motives from the Lord, nor from those who linger around us. Eventually, someday, our shields, veils, masks, and safety nets come off (Luke 8:17). It is then, beneath our mortal flesh the motives make their first appearance, and people will know if you did things out of love and the fruits of the Holy Spirit, or out of legalism, fear, and resentment.  Dispense with the lies and be honest, it will save you heart ache, and help you walk with integrity in your heart (Psalm 15:1-2). Be real, not steel, tell God and men how you feel, only then will your heart heal. For those who do actions without the right heart shall find a rebuke, "Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?' Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!" (Matthew 7:22-23). So get your heart right with the Lord Jesus, tell Him honestly how you feel, what burns in your heart, for out of heart, " good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of." (Luke 6:45). If it be evil, let Emmanuel (Jesus Christ) wash it away and eliminate it when you repent and ask for forgiveness, "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness," (1 John 1:9), and "Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective." (James 5:16, this is to someone you trust, a devout family member or friend or Christian counselor). If what be in your heart be good and godly, then give thanks. Amen.