Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.
(Psalm 139:23, 24)
God’s earnest desire is not only that we live a free and joyful life on earth, but also that we develop the strength of character to fulfill the very purpose for which He made us.
Therefore, He looks far beyond our words and actions right to the reason behind them. In other words, the Lord considers our ‘why’.
What drives you? Why is it so important that you achieve that success, possess that thing or be with that person? What prompts you to keep going even when oppositions threaten to swallow you whole?
Be wary of that nice and easy answer that just jumped into your mind. Majority of the time, it isn’t the real one.
Sometimes too, it may just be the one that carries the higher percentage. Something contrary might be working in the background.
Beloved, understand that a faulty motive can render an outwardly good word or deed perfectly pointless before God. If people cheer and God turns away, there is no reward.
Check your motives. This isn’t an exercise you conduct in haste. Settle down with His Word and make sure that fire that burns within you is is not lit and sustained by:
- Pride
- Ambition
- Revenge (conscious or subconscious)
- Pressure to fit in
- Human approval and applause
- Wealth and fame
- Only self-improvement
- Power
- Only those you care about
This list is far from exhaustive. We all have our peculiarities. We must sustain the courage to sort through them, identify the inherently selfish motives, pray sincerely to God and determine to live solely for His glory.
The only acts that gladdens God are those born out of sincere love for Him first, then others, and advances His Kingdom.
We have only a brief window to prepare for our endless life in eternity. True wisdom lies in letting our ‘why’ for everything be truly Jesus.