AN IMAGE OF GLORY
Anne touch I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my oudy to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing. 1 Corinthians 13:3
Have you ever taken time to think about the reason why you do the things you do? Or the reason why other people do what they do? Behind every action there is a motive. Motive is simply the reason behind what we do.
Have you ever had a situation where someone became close to you and seemed to be very interested in your welfare only for you to realise later that they were just pretending? Yes, people can act very nicely to others just for the sake of something they need or want from them. Sometimes good deeds can be done for the wrong reasons. Even acts of kindness can be done with the wrong motive.
Wrong motives are not always obvious. Many times, the person with the wrong motive does not even know he has it. He might have had that motive for so long that he is not aware of its presence. Motives such as the need for acceptance or the need to be recognised or the need to always out-shine everyone else can be part of our lives without us knowing. They can drive us to great achievements but those achievements will not give us fulfilment because the motive behind them is wrong.
God examines our motives before He looks at our actions. He looks into our hearts before He looks at what we are doing. He is more interested in our hearts and the desires of our heart more than the outward show that we put up for others to see. Always remember that the value of your actions is determined by the value of the motive that inspired them. Your ultimate reward for your works will also be determined by your motives. So keep your motives pure.
Prayer: Lord, help me keep my motives pure. Let love be the motive for everything I do.
Scriptural Reading: 1 Corinthians 13:1-13
