Greetings again my friends. Motives, motives what are our motives for doing things for God? You would think this would not be a big deal to God, but my friends I assure you it is. As a matter of fact, how and why we do things for God are two of the biggest deals, because they speak of our integrity and yes, our motives. Most Christians today do things for God to see what they will get out of it. They serve God to see if He will come through for them in a pinch or when they really need something. Other Christians serve God to soften life’s blows making life more bearable. While others serve God in ministry as a preacher or teacher of the Bible to make a living. Oh LORD never let this be me! All of these examples, and there are many more, are dead wrong. I remember when I started in the ministry my Bible Teacher told me if I want money all I have to do is tell people what they want to hear and what they already know and people will pour money into to my life. I have known and seen this in action time and time again by “ministers” I use to look up to and thought they were moving with God, but in the end, it was all about as they say, “follow the money.” Oh, the stories I could tell you about “ministers” working for themselves building for the future their kingdom and not what God wants. But, I digress and need to stay on topic. My friend how we do things and why we do things, for God, speaks of our maturity, commitment, and dedication, not to mention already spoken our integrity. My friend God cannot do much with immature and dishonourable children who do things for Him for the wrong reason. It has always been not what we do for God, but how we do things for God. After Jesus shared the parable of the Sower with the disciples He says, in verse 17 and 18, “For nothing is secret, that shall not be made manifest; neither anything hid, that shall not be known and come abroad. 18Take heed therefore how ye hear: for whosoever hath, to him shall be given; and whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he seemeth to have.” (Luke 8:17-18) My friend I would encourage you to read these two verses again. Notice Jesus DID NOT say take heed what you hear, oh no, Jesus said, “Take heed therefore (therefore means because what was previously said) how ye hear.” We cannot help what we hear unless we put on a set of headphones and turn the volume up or maybe stick something like ear plugs in our ears to muffle or quiet the sound. What we hear is what we hear, the noise or the wave of sound floating through the air, we cannot help that, but that is not what Jesus was talking about them. Jesus was talking about do we hear things about others and even ourselves with the right heart condition and right motives. Do we hear things and think how we can get the advantage on them. Do we hear things about people so we decide how we are going to vilify them so we can marginalize them. Now do not sit there and act like you do not know what I am talking about. We all have done it. Our “true” motives are ever before us. Only two people really know how we hear, God and us. Our motives goes deep into our character and nature. Recently, a one-time friend, who I thought would never leave our (Karen and mine) side turned on us like white on rice. We were shocked and hurt, dazed to be honest and it took a few days working through this betrayal with prayer and assuring each other we did nothing deserving of this. But, we know if they hated Jesus, and they did, then they will hate us too. The sad part is we know why they did what they did, but we could not, no matter how hard we tried to stop it. Once people set themselves on a course for destruction all you can do is given them a wide birth, maybe pray, and be there to help them pick up the pieces. In 2 Chronicles 25:1-2 we read of a King of Israel who at the age of 29 began to reign as King of Israel. The author (maybe Ezra) writes, “Amaziah was twenty and five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned twenty and nine years in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Jehoaddan of Jerusalem. 2And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, but not with a perfect heart. Wow, this guy who had it all “King of Israel,” he was young, a ruler, yet “he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, but not with a perfect heart.” In other words he ruled and reigned over Israel with the wrong motives, his heart condition was not perfect or without fault. People could see in him the greed, selfishness, wrongness, immaturity, and evil this all leads to in him. For 29 years he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD. I am amazed God will let people continue in their wayward lifestyle for long periods of time. I thank God for His grace longsuffering, and mercy that we are not cut down and carried off to be burned. My friend God is looking at NOT what we do for Him, but how we do things for Him. He closely scrutinizes us in the small things to know if He can trust us in the big things.
Next month we will continue looking at the perfect heart of the “Prophet of God” who must also have an obedient heart. I hope this is you my friend. Are you a Prophet of God? To be a Prophet we must be able to hear His voice. Listen closely and you will hear. Written by David Stahl
