Caleb Walker

     What motivates you? Sometimes, we think of motivation as the willingness and energy to do something. Someone might say something like, “I just don’t feel motivated to do x, y, or z.” When we look at Acts nineteen, we see pure motives and impure motives in God’s work. This passage calls us to ask ourselves, “What are my motives?” in service to the Lord Jesus.

     It is a blessing to us when God convicts us of improper motives.  When the Holy Spirit convicts us and points out an area of improper motivation, we should look at that as a blessing. God does not want us to continue with our errors. How could a believer serve God and His church with improper motivations? Pride, man’s applause, filling some fleshly need that hasn’t been dealt with, or other self-motivated, self-serving reasons. When God exposes this, it can be painful, but it is so worth it. God exposing this sin is the first step toward recovery in our motivations.

     It is a blessing when God purifies our motivations. Once God exposes our improper motivations and we repent and even look into the reasons for such behavior, then we can heal from this behavior and replace it with pure motivations, knowing that ultimately God is intimately working in our hearts and minds to transform us and change us into Christlikeness that we may joyfully serve God and others in a way that pleases Him (Philippians 2:13).

     So, what motivates you? Is it pure motivation, or self-serving kingdom-building? Brother and sister, turn from all improper motivations that will only leave you empty and unfulfilled and convicted and replace it with pure motivations that seek God’s true glorification and the good of others regardless of whether you are praised or not. May man’s praise become distasteful to us when it takes the place of man’s praise of God. Let’s become good deflectors of man’s praise to God.

How to pray:

• That God would expose my improper motivations.
• That I would be quick to repent from improper motivations
• That I would replace them with pure motivations for God’s glory and man’s good