Monday, February 9, 2009

At The Well.........My Motives


Are my motives pleasing to you, Lord?




Today, At The Well, the discussion centers around motives.

Questions are asked like......

~Why do you sing in the choir?
~Why do you teach a Sunday school class?
~Why do you give in the offering?
~Why do you visit the sick in the hospital?
~Why do you call a discouraged friend?

This is my first time participating in these discussions and it's funny that the topic is motives. This whole weekend my communion with God has found me focusing on my motives.

I went for a short walk to the store on Saturday, and while walking, I started to talk to God about finances and then about giving. I prayed as I walked asking God to help me to grow into a person who loves to gives and not one to give just to be able to say I gave. I asked God to help me to pay my tithes and give my offering out of obedience to His word. I said to Him as I walked, "Lord, I know you are a God who keeps Your word and who loves to bless. I know that when I give, you will give back to me, but never ever again let that be my motive in giving. Lord let me give out of a pure heart of obedience to you." I prayed that my heart, my hands and my spirit would would be clean and pure before Him.

Later on in the day, I met with my study group and we finalized plans for an Evening of Song and Testimony that we are having in a few weeks. After my group left, once again I went before God with my motives. I prayed and asked God to help me to have pure and clean motives before Him as I planned this event. I truly want all that I have and all that I do to be honorable to Him. I desire not to do just to be seen of men and get their praises, I sincerely want to do as Paul says, to find out what pleases God and to do it.

I am purposing to bring my heart's motives constantly before God. I don't want to be deceived or deceive myself into thinking that I don't want others to see me and to compliment me. It would be a lie to say otherwise, but with God's help I pray that as I put my heart in His hands, He will increase as I decrease.

Pauls says in 2 Corinthians 7:1 Therefore, since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God.


Impure motives contaminate my body and my spirit. Lord, today I am asking You to create a clean heart in me and renew a right spirit within me. In Jesus name.


You can join other women Gathering At the Well for more on today's discussion.

Blessings,
Vickie




10 comments:

Ashley Wells said...

Thank you so much for joining us!

This is a big topic that we are all dealing with!

-Ashley

Laurie Ann said...

What a precious heart you have before God. Thank you so much for sharing your heart and thoughts at the Well today! Blessings to you...

Yolanda said...

I wonder, if we would all get real and extremely transparent, if there is a one of us that can get this right? That when we receive a compliment, if it doesn't encourage us in the correct way instead of a prideful way.

Thank you for sharing your heart with us, I for one, truly appreciate it and I appreciate you.

Lovingly,
Yolanda

LauraLee Shaw said...

This is beautifully written and expressed. So thankful that God knows our heart and our motives and loves us anyway. Loved hearing your heart in the matter.

Tracy said...

What a beautiful and insightful post. Thank you for sharing your heart and giving us all a gentle reminder to examine our own hearts and motives. Blessings!

LAURIE said...

I am so glad that you joined us today over AT THE WELL. I had no idea that this topic of "motives" I chose to write about would be so heart changing for so many of us. I am glad that God is a God of changing hearts! Hope to see you AT THE WELL again...Laurie

Beth in NC said...

How timely eh? Wow, amazing that you were just discussing these things with the Lord. I love how your heart is for our Lord and His will. That is beautiful!

Bless you tonight!
Beth

Lindsey said...

I'm trying to continually ask God to change me into a more giving person, too. It doesn't come naturally, does it? Not for me, anyway. It can get frustrating sometimes. :-)

Thanks for your comment!

Sherry @ Lamp Unto My Feet said...

Having pure motives is something that is continually to be worked on. This was a wonderful topic and something I know I need to work on.

Patty Wysong said...

Purposing to bring our motives before God is so key! It's a good way to keep things straight!
Hugs!