Our Motives and Pleasing God

“All a man’s ways seem right in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the motives” (Proverbs 16:2, HCSB).

I try to serve God, but am I motivated by acclaim or compelled by pride? That’s a penetrating question. And one well worth serious consideration.

Despite what we may have been taught, living out our faith is just as much about “why” we do things as it is about “what” we do. Even atheists do “good” things; at least as outward appearances go.

So here are some thoughts worth reflecting on and using as a basis for some personal inventory:

God Looks at the Inside, Not the Outside

We, as humans, tend to observe and judge based upon outward appearances and actions. Thus we are prone to think that God is doing the same. But it is our inward being that He is most interested in:

• “…The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart” 1 Samuel 16:7).
• “I the LORD search the heart and examine the mind, to reward a man according to his conduct, according to what his deeds deserve” (Jeremiah 17:10).
• “And you, my son Solomon, acknowledge the God of your father, and serve Him…for the LORD searches every heart and understands every motive behind the thoughts” (1 Chronicles 28:9).
• “‘For from within, out of men’s hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance, and folly. All these evils come from inside and make a man ‘unclean’” (Mark 7:21-23).

God Knows All of Our Thoughts

Although we intellectually know this is true (God is omniscient), we often live as if our thoughts are unknown by Him. Our mental gymnastics and thought process can be self-deceptive: others don’t know what is truly going on inside my head so I’m in the clear.

• “The LORD knows the thoughts of man; He knows that they are futile” (Psalms 94:11).
• “O LORD, you have searched me and know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar….You are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue You know it completely, O LORD” (Psalms 139:1-4).
• “You know me, O LORD; You see me and test my thoughts about You” (Jeremiah 12:3).

God Knows, Judges, and Rewards Our Motives

As much as religion has taught us that “what” we do is most important, Scripture tells us incessantly that “why” we do things is as important, if not more important, to God.

• “Be careful not to do your ‘acts of righteousness’ before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven” (Matthew 6:1).
• “All a man’s ways seem innocent to him, but motives are weighed by the LORD” (Proverbs 16:2).
• “You want something but don’t get it. You kill and covet…. You quarrel and fight. You do not have, because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures” (James 4:2-3).

Heart-righteousness Pleases God

The Gospel is about the transformation of our heart that leads to a transformed life. Religious acts, unless compelled by a heart renewed and reformed by the grace of God, is meaningless religion and fails to honor or please God.

• “All a man’s ways seem right to him, but the LORD weighs the heart” (Proverbs 21:2).
• “‘For from within, out of men’s hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance, and folly. All these evils come from inside and make a man unclean” (Mark 7:21-23).
• “For the appeal we make does not spring from error or impure motives, nor are we trying to trick you…. We are not trying to please men but God, who tests our hearts. You know we never used flattery, nor did we put on a mask to cover up greed—God is our witness. We were not looking for praise from men….” (1 Thessalonians 2:3-6).
• You have heard that it was said, ‘Do not commit adultery.’ But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart” (Matthew 5:27-28).

We Must Seek to Please God with Pure Motives

When was the last time we asked God to make our motives pure so that would please Him? It’s so easy to be deceived by just “going through the motions” that we often lose sight of the truth that God wants us to “do” only for the purpose of bringing Him, and not ourselves, honor and glory.

• “For the appeal we make does not spring from error or impure motives, nor are we trying to trick you…. We are not trying to please men but God, who tests our hearts. You know we never used flattery, nor did we put on a mask to cover up greed—God is our witness. We were not looking for praise from men….” (1 Thessalonians 2:3-6).
• “…Praise be to the name of God….He reveals deep and hidden things; He knows what lies in darkness, and light dwells with Him” (Luke 8:17).
• “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12).

So let’s ask some honest, relevant questions: Why do we do what we do? Is it for God’s glory or our own? These, my friends, are a litmus test for the authenticity of our deeds…and even our faith. And, when truthfully answered, they remind us just how dependent we are on Him and the Gospel of grace.