Tag: motives

To Shine – or Not to Shine?

Old Testament: Genesis 11 & 12

Poetry: Psalm 3

New Testament: Matthew 6:1-18

Remember how we recently read in Matthew 5 to SHINE – “before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.” (Matt 5:16). And, then we get to Matthew 6 which begins, “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.” (Matt 6:1). One says do your good deeds before men while the other specifically says don’t do your acts of righteousness before men. Is there a contradiction there? I want to follow Jesus, I do – but sometimes…I am not exactly sure what it should look like. But, over and over again I find I am the one that needs to grow in my understanding and action. So, let’s dig a little deeper and see what we’ve got here. 

In our SeekGrowLove Bible reading plan last year we focused on looking at what we can learn about God or what He reveals about Himself every time we read His words. I learned a lot. I had a great year journaling and marking in my Bible margin little asterisks when I read descriptions of God, what He’s like and what He likes, what He is doing and will do. In the gospels it is extra fun to find all the descriptions of God given to us by one who knows Him so well – His Son Jesus. I have found it can be very valuable to read God’s word not as a checklist of do’s and don’ts but as a search for more and more about our Heavenly Father. 

These first 18 verses in Matthew 6 on giving, praying and fasting seems at first to be primarily a lot of direction on what we should be doing – and sometimes what we should not be doing. But, upon looking closer – there are quite a few asterisks in my margins. God, specifically called ‘Your Father’, shows up, again and again. Twice He is referred to as unseen – perhaps in contrast to the Pharisees and religious leaders who enjoyed making themselves very well seen, and perhaps just as a reminder we all need – God is here – don’t be fooled at just concerning yourself with what you can see with your eyes. He is unseen and very real. 

In each of the three sections on giving, prayer and fasting Jesus states, “your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.” So, even though He is unseen, He sees. There are no secrets we can keep from God. He sees it all. And when He sees what He likes – giving in secret to the needy, one-on-one prayer with Him, and fasting in secret – he will reward us. He is real, He sees and He rewards, when we do it right. 

So, what is the wrong way to give, pray and fast? They all seem like good deeds to do – should we shine while doing them? Jesus answers that question – give, pray and fast, but don’t do them, “before men to be seen by them.” When we are putting on a holy show to let others know how good we are – that is when God says, “I got nothing for you – you already received your praise from men. You weren’t really looking for My praise anyways. You wanted to look better than the rest. Your pride was lifting yourself up. You weren’t pointing people to a Me. You were just plain showing off and trying to create a name for yourself.” (This was also what the Tower of Babel folks got in trouble for in our Old Testament reading of Genesis 11 today – trying to make a name for themselves). 

So, it becomes another heart issue where motive and manner is extremely important. What is your motivation to give, pray or fast? Do you have selfish reasons and are motivated by looking good? Do you do it in a manner to get the most attention and eyes on you? Just remember, God sees, too, and He ain’t happy. Those acts of righteousness were supposed to come from a pure and sincere heart seeking ways to thank, honor and draw closer to your Father in heaven. But you took that sacred interchange between yourself and Him and cheapened it by broadcasting it before men. 

But what about those good deeds that we ARE supposed to do before men SO THAT God is praised? It seems the “good deeds” category is different and perhaps broader than the “acts of righteousness” we just discussed. While the acts of righteousness were things we do for and with God (and most appropriately in secret), the good deeds are what we can do for and with others. Motive is still really important. No one (least of all, your Father) wants to see your good deeds that are only done to bring praise to yourself. How do we do good deeds that others will see, and when they do see, they will praise our Father in heaven? Perhaps (like always) the best answer and example is seen in Jesus. As we read through the rest of Matthew let’s look for what he does in secret with and for His Father and what he does before men to bring praise to His Father. What are his acts of righteousness and what are his good deeds? Can we tell what his audience and motives are in each? 

-Marcia Railton

Reflection Questions

  1. How are you doing with your acts of righteousness? Do you think God sees and is pleased? What motivates your acts of righteousness – where is your heart? What would you like to do better – for Him? 
  2. In Matthew 6:8 what do we learn about your Father? How is this reassuring to you? How can knowing this affect your prayers? What do you learn from Jesus’ model prayer in verses 9-13?
  3. In Matthew 6:14 & 15 what do we learn about your Father and forgiveness? Why is this so important? Is there someone you need to forgive today?
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You Have Heard it Said

Old Testament Reading: Genesis 7 & 8

Psalm Reading: Psalm 6

New Testament Reading: Matthew 5


I bet on more than one occasion you’ve heard the famous English proverb, “Eat an apple on going to bed, and you’ll keep the doctor from making his bread.” or more likely the abbreviated version, “An apple a day keeps the doctor away.”  More than one study confirms that people who consistently eat apples are more likely to be heart healthy, but in its literal application, adding one apple to your diet, even before bedtime, won’t do much. Sure, the fiber, vitamins, and antioxidants will benefit your body, but the dose within a single apple is far less than what your body requires to maintain peak performance. Additionally, the method of which you take your apple provides an important caveat.  If you are eating an entire apple within a cobbler or pie, you might be doing more harm than good to your body.  Those who consume whole raw apples are far more than likely to ingest other vitamin rich foods that collectively are making an impact on their overall health. In this way, we follow the spirit of this wisdom, more so than the verbatim message, so we can truly benefit from the richness of adages.

Jesus addresses the rules given to man in the Old Testament in a similar fashion in the second half of the Sermon on the Mount. While God’s law never changed, Jesus points out problematic observances of rule-following, apple-pie-eating, ill-intentioned Jewish culture of His time. Simply fulfilling the letter of the law is no longer the bar. God demands we go further than what has been said, or maybe “heard”.  You shouldn’t murder, but likewise, you shouldn’t wish your enemy dead. You shouldn’t have sex outside of marriage, but lust shouldn’t find a home in your eyes and heart. You only have permission to divorce out of marital infidelity, not simply because it is no longer convenient.  Additionally, keeping oaths, giving consequences, and loving your neighbor, all are presented in a new light.

But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to a brother or sister, ‘Raca,’ is answerable to the court. And anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell. – Matthew 5:22

But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. – Matthew 5:28

But I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, makes her the victim of adultery, and anyone who marries a divorced woman commits adultery. – Matthew 5:32

But I tell you, do not swear an oath at all: either by heaven, for it is God’s throne; or by the earth, for it is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King. – Matthew 5:34, 35

But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also. And if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, hand over your coat as well.  – Matthew 5:39, 40

But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you. – Matthew 5:44

If our intention is the Kingdom of God, then the motives for our actions are equal to the actions themselves. Being “good” receives us the praise of men, but the battle that matters to God is the one happening within. As stated previously in this week’s devotions, we do not serve a God of chaos, but of intention and order. We stick out like a sore thumb when our purpose differs from our action. He knows the motivation of our heart, and he can easily identify whether it is ego or altruism that is guiding the course.  He is not looking for us to consume a few bushels of apples. God is looking for the holistic, sacrificial worship of handing our lives over to Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. He is asking we look beyond the letters and the adages, and take on the fullness of His diet.  Consuming God in every moment will lead to fulfilling the law (no murder, no adultery, no vanity), but truly I tell you, fully filling the spirit of them means we love our neighbors and enemies, our word is our bond to others and God, and we go the extra mile for the opportunity to speak Christ in word and deed, increasing the company traveling along the straight and narrow.

-Aaron Winner

Reflection Questions

  1. What were the problems with how the Old Testament law had come to be interpreted and lived out? Do you see any of those problems in your own actions and heart?
  2. Jesus clearly states he didn’t come to abolish the law (Matthew 5:17-19) – how would you describe what Jesus did instead? And why?
  3. Which of the new updates poses the biggest challenge to you? Why do you think Jesus included it?
  4. In your Bible reading today what does God (who gave the law to Moses, and also gave authority and ministry to His Son Jesus) reveal about Himself?
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The Right Friendship

James 4

Wednesday, October 5, 2022

Conflicts and violence are problems we humans have always dealt with. If only there were some insights in the book of James to help us understand why, and how we might be able to help the situation.

“Those conflicts and disputes among you, where do they come from? Do they not come from your cravings that are at war within you? You want something and do not have it; so you commit murder. And you covet something and cannot obtain it; so you engage in disputes and conflicts. You do not have, because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, in order to spend what you get on your pleasures.” (James 4:1-3 NRSV)

James says the source of conflict is the cravings at war within us. We covet things that we don’t have, and perceive that there isn’t enough to go around, leading us to take what we want by force, many times at the expense of others. We’re wired so deeply for survival that the fear of scarcity often drives us to get what we need in whatever way we can. It’s both a blessing and a curse. 

The passage goes a level deeper into the investigation and explores why we don’t have what we need: It’s because we don’t ask. That’s something I’m not good at. I often feel uncomfortable asking someone else for something, because I think it’s my own responsibility to take care of it. By not asking, I’m underutilizing one of the biggest strengths of being part of family and community. There is more than enough to go around if asking and sharing happen freely.

There’s another layer to this. Sometimes when we ask, we don’t receive because we ask with wrong or selfish motives. By chasing after the wrong things, we are fueling the fire of conflict. James is prompting us to take inventory of our desires and motives. It’s not wrong to need or want things, but the challenge is to seek the right things with a pure heart.

James continues his train of thought by contrasting “friendship with the world” and friendship with God. When we seek things with the wrong motives, we make ourselves friends of the world, and therefore enemies of God. Instead, make yourself a friend of God by humbling yourself and submitting to the leading of his spirit that lives within us. Set aside your selfish desires, as painful as that may be, and ask for truly good things.

James is offering us an antidote to conflicts and violence, advocating for a more peaceful way—partner with God (“draw near” to him) by properly aligning your desires. Seek after and ask for the right things, and have enough as you share in God’s abundance and grace.

-Jay Laurent

Questions to consider:

1. What are some things you need or want, but don’t have?

2. Do you think these needs/wants are because of selfish desires, or are they good things to seek after?

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His Agenda, Not Ours

Day after day, in the temple courts and from house to house, they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Messiah.Acts 5

As we see the disciples growing in their boldness, we see them start acting a lot like Jesus. They are going to the temple to teach and preach, they heal the sick and meet the needs of the poor. The church is growing – and it seemed inevitable that as things were going so well there would be a hiccup.

The church became the popular place where some people looked to make a name for themselves. A wealthy couple came in to the church looking for applause for their great gift. The crowd quickly learns that God’s church is not a place for self promotion and corruption as they both drop dead for their wrong doing.

Side note: They did a great thing for the church. If some random person walked into any of our churches and said “I just sold some property and I want to donate $100,000”, we would all be super excited for the great gift. The problem was not the size of the gift – instead the intent of the gift and lie. They were seeking attention and tried to make an already good gift better for the sake of looking good.

Before long the church did not only face internal problems but also outer opposition. The religious leaders began fighting back as their power and influence was threatened. They conspire against the disciples and often try to get them prosecuted. Seems crazy to have the religious leaders try to take down those who are healing the sick and pointing people to God. Even so, they beat and arrest the apostles on made up charges.

Gamaliel, a wise old Pharisee, gives advice – “Let them go! For if their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail. But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men.”

If we are doing the works of God, we cannot be stopped! If we are seeking our own desires we will fail.

-John Wincapaw

Cleansing Your Heart

Matthew 15

 

matthew 15_18

 

In Matthew 15, Jesus is very critical of the religious leaders during his time, which were among the group called the Pharisees. In verses 1-14, the Pharisees had criticized Jesus and his disciples for not following their traditions about “washing their hands” before they ate, as if it was a salvation issue for them. Now, it is definitely a good idea to wash your hands before you eat; in fact, I definitely recommend doing so. However, when we make such small matters an issue for the salvation of others, it becomes a problem.

 

Jesus goes on to tell them that it is the things that come out of our hearts that affect our salvation, not merely the things that we put into our bodies in verse 15-20. You see, God is more concerned about our hearts than he is with our religious duties. Praying and worshiping before God is good, but if it isn’t done with the right motives, it does not profit you at all. We need to develop a heart within ourselves that is truly committed to our God. 1 Samuel 16:7 says that “man looks at the outward appearance, but YHWH (God) looks at the heart.”

 

Jesus tells us that we can know whether our hearts are good or corrupt by what they are producing in our life. If you are producing evil thoughts, hatred, sexual immoralities, lies, and more, then you need to have a change of heart. However, if you have a good heart that is led by the Holy Spirit, you will produce these things: “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control” (Galatians 5:22-23).

 

A good biblical example for us to follow would be that of King David. If you know the story of King David from 1 and 2 Samuel, God calls him a “man after His own heart” (1 Samuel 13:14). What a compliment from the Creator of the universe! Wouldn’t you like to be described by God in this way? You see, David was concerned with the things of God and longed to worship Him. His whole heart was devoted to making his God pleased.

 

I encourage you today to look at your life and ask yourself, “What am I producing?” If you are lacking in some area in your life, repent and start making a change. Although King David was a highly spiritual man, he also fell deep into sin, just like we all do. If that is your situation today, I encourage you to pray to God the same words that David prayed in Psalm 51:

“Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me away from Your presence, and do not take Your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of Your salvation and sustain me with a willing spirit.”

 

-Talon Paul

How Much Do Your Motives Weigh?

Proverbs 21

proverbs 21-2

A person may think their own ways are right, but the Lord weighs the heart. Proverbs 21:2

Proverbs 21 focuses on “why we do what we do” or motives. It is hard to determine another’s motives because sometimes we don’t even understand why we are doing something. Our motives are the goal or object of our actions or something that causes a person to act in a certain way or do a certain thing. We should be comforted by the fact that the LORD weighs the heart.  God not only sees what we do, but he understands why we do it.  He understands who we are inside and out.  We can be happy about this because not only does He know what we are like, but He will help us become who we should be.  As Ezekiel 11:19-20 states, “I will give them an undivided heart and put a new spirit in them; I will remove from them their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh. Then they will follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. They will be my people, and I will be their God.”

So God not only looks at the heart (1 Sam. 16:7), but when we are open to Him He makes our hearts as they should be.  Verse 1 explains that in the Lord’s hand the king’s heart is a stream of water that he channels toward all who please him. Anyone that has watched an irrigation ditch being dug truly pictures this. The water rushes through bringing much needed water to the crops.  In the same way, we succeed by placing our hearts in the LORD’s hand.  God gives us pure hearts so we can do good with pure motives.  We allow Him to use us to do His work and we will be rewarded beyond our sacrifice. Of course, that reward may only be given in the Kingdom of God.  As verse 21 states, “Whoever pursues righteousness and love finds life, prosperity and honor.”  So now is the time to get ready for the ways that our lives can honor and serve our God. The final verse of Proverbs 21 tells us, “The horse is made ready for the day of battle, but victory rests with the Lord.”  So it is our responsibility to prepare for the ways in which we can serve the LORD. Under God’s direction, we will get our horse ready.  But we can be sure that victory rests with the LORD.

-Rebecca Dauksas

 

Rally Right – Proverbs 16

Part 1

Prov 16-3
I was watching the news this morning.  How depressing, so I switched to Facebook.  Not much better.  If you are like me you don’t need negativity in your life, you want something positive to cling to.  I choose to not find my joy in the news of today but in the wisdom of God.  Proverbs 16 really spoke to me today because of a few verses that really caught my eye.
Proverbs 16:1-4
The plans of the heart belong to man,
But the answer of the tongue is from the Lord.
2 All the ways of a man are clean in his own sight,
But the Lord weighs the motives.
3 Commit your works to the Lord
And your plans will be established.
4 The Lord has made everything for its own purpose,
Even the wicked for the day of evil.
 
What really spoke to me about these verses is
1.  In verse 1 it says “the plans of the heart belong to man but the answer of the tongue is from the LORD”  What this tells me is human responsibility is always subject to God’s absolute sovereignty
2.  Verse 2-While man can be self deceived God determines his true motives.
3.  Verse 3-In the sense of both total trust and submission to the will of God, He will fulfill a person’s righteous plans.
4.  Verse 4-The wicked will bring glory to God in the day of their judgment and punishment.
 
Do you see a pattern here?  The pattern is that you have a responsibility to find the right path and walk in it.  God will direct you to it.  If you choose to ignore it you will be corrected.
 
33 The lot is cast into the lap,
But its every decision is from the Lord.
 
Are you making a choice?  Don’t let someone make it for you.  Rally right! 
God bless!
I am praying for you.
Pastor Andy Cisneros

How Much Does Your Heart Weigh?

Proverbs 20-22

proverbs-21-2

Friday, January 27
 
Still watching that tongue of yours?  This week have you ever stopped and changed what you were going to say – or decided it shouldn’t be said at all?  Are you feeling wiser and wiser every day you are more aware of what comes out of your mouth?  Keep it up!  Today’s reading continues to sprinkle in verses about our mouth.  It is a theme repeated over and over again throughout the Proverbs.  It seems how we use our mouth really is important to Solomon, the God who inspired his writings, and the path to wisdom.  Proverbs 21:23 says, “He who guards his mouth and his tongue keeps himself from calamity.”  Wisdom brings great reward . . . but foolishness does not.  “A man who strays from the path of understanding comes to rest in the company of the dead.”  (21:16)
 
 “All a man’s ways seem right to him, but the Lord weighs the heart.” (21:2)   “ALL a man’s ways SEEM RIGHT to HIM.”  That explains a lot, doesn’t it?  No wonder relationships get a little sticky sometimes – all of my ways seem right to me, while all of your ways seem right to you.  Thankfully, the Lord does know what is right and knows our motives and heart.   We can pray that God will help us see ourselves clearly, truthfully – as He sees us.  I can pray that He will show me where and when I am wrong and off-track so I can make the adjustments necessary in myself.  Together we can pray that when our hearts are weighed they will not be found lacking.  And then we do the work we can to keep our hearts pure, devoted to Him,  and full of love for others.
 
 
And, for some quick lessons  . . .
 
On Drinking – “Wine is a mocker and beer a brawler; whoever is led astray by them is not wise.”  (20:1)   – Don’t you think watching your words and actions and working to be Godly is challenging enough when you are sober?  Have you ever seen a good drunk Christian following God?  Watch what you are allowing to influence you.   Proverbs has several verses warning of the dangers of drinking.
 
On Revenge – “Do not say, ‘I’ll pay you back for this wrong!’ Wait for the Lord and he will deliver you.” (20:22)   — How wonderful to have something we can take off our busy ‘to do list’.  Life is too full to waste our time plotting and planning revenge.  Move on and leave it to God. 
 
On Drippy Faucets –  “A quarrelsome wife is like a constant dripping.”  (19:13)  Ok, that verse actually came from yesterday’s reading, but too good to pass up, and closely related to two of today’s proverbs: “Better to live on a corner of the roof than share a house with a quarrelsome wife” (21:9) and “Better to live in a desert than with a quarrelsome and ill-tempered wife.” (21:19).  Not sure I can add anything to those eloquent words.  I guess it is just a reminder to me, and wives everywhere, as well as those aspiring to wifedom to ‘can the quarreling’ so our husbands don’t pitch a tent on the corner of the roof or hightail it to the desert.

Still so many great proverbs we aren’t going to have time to touch on.  Feel free to leave a comment on any of your favorite proverbs on our wordpress site!!  We would love to hear from you and learn from you.

God Bless You as You Seek to be Wise,

Marcia Railton