All a person’s ways seems pure to them, but motives are weighed by the Lord. – Proverbs 16:2
There are times when people do good things, but for the wrong reasons. We see it all the time:
People will do a good deed and advertise how they helped someone in need for all to see. They brag on themselves before anyone else can brag on them.
People will even convince themselves that they’re doing something for someone else out of the goodness of their heart. But, when you listen to them talk you hear the haughtiness in their tones. They’re helping only because it fulfills their need to be self-important or a way to measure their own status.
There’s a lady I’ve been knowing for years who goes out to the nursing homes to visit friends/associates, has even taken them to doctor’s appointments in the past. On the outside you may look at the things she does as good deeds, and may even look at her as a good person. However, whenever she gets a chance, she talks about their medical condition (in detail – telling all of their personal information), their family drama, and gives her negative opinion on everything about them. When I hear these things, I begin to wonder about her motives…and I also take note to make sure I don’t ever share anything around her that I would mind repeated.
Now, it’s easy to read the above noted paragraph and judge the lady for her actions. But the Word of God also reminds us that we will meet the same measure of judgment if we judge. So, we must always do self-examinations to ensure we’re doing what we’re doing in the right spirit. First, we must:
• Ask God to show us any part of our actions that are not pleasing to Him.
• When God reveals an undesirable area in you, repent.
• Surrender those parts to God (ex. Ask God to remove pride and exchange it for humility).
• Then, thank God for keeping you humble and in the right spirit so that you may be the right representative in the earth for Kingdom expansion.
Examining your heart on a regular basis is a necessary thing to do when we’re doing anything for God. Always be in a state of gratitude and always ask God to keep you humble.
The FLOW 