January 29, 2016

Search Your Heart

"A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of." -- Luke 6:45

Several of us are participating in a Bible study on prayer. We are spending a lot of time looking inward at motives. How often do we tell ourselves we are doing something for someone else when in reality we are doing it for ourselves?

Let’s look at it another way: Someone at church mentions a prayer request. Prayers are good and powerful, especially when done collectively. But what happens when the questions start? Everyone is curious and pretty soon that prayer request has turned into a gossip session. Did the questions come from true concern or not? Will God bless those prayers? Maybe it all started as a genuine need but when and where did it cross the line?

Let’s consider another case: When you do something good for someone are you doing it because you truly want to do it for them or because you want to be recognized for doing good? It all comes back to motives. Maybe the truth is actually both. You want the recognition and you want to do good. Which do you think will most honor God? Yeah. To God be the glory, not you. Wrong motives are never a good idea.

Most of us want to do the right thing. We want to be good people. But that human part of us also wants recognition. We want to be in control. We are selfish. Arrogant. We “know” that we are right as we pray for others to come to our way of thinking.

Look at your heart. Search it. Be very sure that your motives are pure. Doing the “right thing” is always the wrong thing when your heart is wrong. Don’t try to bluff through it because it will blow up in your face. God knows. He sees. The heart always, always reveals itself.