Motives
JKS
28 March 2007
Proverbs 4:23
Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of
life.
The motive for doing something is
the reason which causes us to do it. It is the “force” which moves us to
action.
Examples of good motives:
Micah sees mummy walking toward the
door so he runs ahead of mummy to open it because he knows that opening the door
for ladies is the right thing to do and it shows his respect for ladies.
Caleb is kind to his younger brother
because he knows that being kind and taking care of his younger siblings
pleases God.
Gideon takes a dangerous tool away
from Hannah because he doesn't want her to get hurt.
Some examples from the Bible:
David fought Goliath because Goliath
defied the Lord of Hosts and so that the Philistines would know that there is a
God in
Solomon’s motive for asking for
wisdom was so that he could judge God’s people in righteousness (1Ki 3:9).
Examples of wrong motives:
Micah walks up to the bench and is
about to pick off a chunk of mummy’s freshly baked bread when he hears mummy's
footsteps. He stops and quickly moves away from the bench. Why does he do this?
Caleb sees that Micah has a new Lego
carriage. He starts to be extra kind to Micah. Why does he do this?
Gideon is about to throw a pair of
socks at Micah from his bed when he stops and quickly hides under his quilt
when he hears daddy in the hallway. Why does he do this?
Some examples from the Bible:
The
David sent Uriah
home to his wife from the battle to cover David’s own sin (2 Sam 11:8).
Our motive is the reason why we do
something. There are right motives and wrong motives. Motives come from our
heart and show how we think. In the above examples, each child has a wrong
motive. Micah doesn't take the bread because he doesn't want to be disciplined
by mummy, not because he wants to please mummy by being obedient. Caleb is
extra nice because he wants the toy which Micah has, not because being nice is
the right thing to do. Gideon doesn't throw the socks because daddy will
discipline him, not because he wants to please daddy by being obedient.
What is wrong with doing something
with the wrong motive? It means that if you had the opportunity, you'd do the
wrong thing. It shows the real intent of the heart is to do wrong instead of
right.
Can we do something with no motive
at all? This is called impulsive action or doing something without thinking.
This is foolish and will lead to either a wrong action or a careless action.
Diligence means to do something with
great care. It means to do something wholeheartedly, with all our effort, to
make sure something gets done properly. Proverbs 4:23 tells us that we must
guard our own heart with all diligence because this is
where wrong or right motives begin.
Things which cause us to have wrong
motives: envy, pride, selfishness. Envy causes us to want something so much
that we will do the wrong thing to get it. Pride causes us to think of
ourselves as more important than others and selfishness causes us to do things
without thinking about how they will affect others.
Things which cause us to have right
motives: love of God, love of others more than ourselves, wisdom. If we love
God, we will want to please Him and obey his Word. If we love others, we will
treat them as more important. If we are wise, we will think about how our
actions affect others.
If what is in our heart is right, we
will have right motives. If what is in our heart is wrong, we will have wrong
motives. We need to do the things which will place in our heart the thoughts
and desires which will cause right motives. We need to guard our hearts so that
we don't become envious, proud or selfish. We need to do things which will
cause us to love God more, love others more and become wise.
How do we learn to love God more? We
can learn about His holy character, His mighty power and His boundless love in
His Word. (Psalm 119:11:11 Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not
sin against thee.)
How can we learn to love others more
than ourselves? We must learn to think about others more than we think about
ourselves. We must learn to serve others. We can do this by looking at how the
Lord Jesus served others. (Philippians 2:4 Look not every man on his own
things, but every man also on the things of others. 5 Let this mind be in
you, which was also in Christ Jesus...)
How do we become wise? We must spend
time with wise people and listen to their wise instruction. (Proverbs 13:20
He that walketh with wise men shall be wise: but a companion of fools
shall be destroyed. Proverbs 15:31 The ear that heareth the reproof of
life abideth among the wise. James 1:5 If any of you lack wisdom, let him
ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall
be given him.)
Our greatest example of one whom
always had right motives is the Lord Jesus Christ.
John 8:29 And he that sent me is with me: the Father hath not left me alone; for I do always those things that please him.
John 5:30 I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me.
God the Father confirmed that God the Son pleased Him (Matt 3:17, 17:5, Mark 1:11, Luke 3:22, 2Pet 1:17.
What have we learnt? A motive is the force which causes us to act in a certain way, it comes from the heart and can be right or wrong. Wrong motives come from envy, pride and selfishness while right motives come from a love of God, a love of others more than ourselves and from wisdom. We should thus guard our heart with all diligence in order to fill our lives with the things which will instil right motives. Doing something with the wrong motive is wrong because given opportunity, we’d choose wrong instead of right. Our greatest example is the Lord Jesus whose motive was to please His Father whom had sent Him into the world to save it.