In these last days, we’re seeing more and more instances of people doing evil things. It’s tempting to use a trite phrase to explain their actions, but we mustn’t miss the spiritual connections. People don’t act in a vacuum; their motives are either pure or impure. Looking past the actions to the motivations behind them gives us a deeper spiritual understanding.

Our motives can be numerous. In the Old Testament, Job, although he was a good man who wanted to please God, was motivated by the fear that his children had done something sinful; this was the reason for his burnt offerings. Abel’s motives for bringing an offering to God were a desire to worship God; by contrast, Cain’s jealousy motivated him to kill his own brother. The Bible sternly warns us against the type of impure motivation that caused Cain to commit murder.

Not everything people declare openly has a godly motivation behind it. We mustn’t believe everyone who claims to speak by the Spirit, but instead test them to see if the spirit they have is even from God; the world has many false prophets. However, God brings every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether good or evil.

During His ministry, Jesus recognized and called out those with impure motives. He told the Pharisees that they justified themselves before others, but that God knew their hearts. By contrast, Jesus’ motives for everything He did were based in God’s love and grace. God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son.

For us, this means that we can either live life motivated by our own personal gain, or motivated to please God. Whether we eat or drink, or whatever we may do, we’re instructed to do everything for His honor and glory, not ours. Choosing humility over pride allows God to exalt us and show us grace.

Prayer:

God, we’re surrounded by the temptation to embrace impure motives, because that’s what our external environment pressures us to do. However, as Christians, we have Your Word and Your Holy Spirit to help us avoid this trap. Thank You for giving us wisdom in this area. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Scriptures:

Job 1:5

Genesis 4:3-8

1 John 3:12, NIV

1 John 4:1, NLT

Ecclesiastes 12:14, NIV

Luke 16:14, 15

John 3:16

1 Corinthians 10:31, AMPC

James 4:10

1 Peter 5:6

Luke 14:11

Proverbs 3:34, NKJV