This is a question I asked myself today in reflecting on the words I read last night.
We all have them. I think the hardest thing to do is come to an honest assesment of what our motives are.
It is easy to couch what we do in the right words... but often there are many things that drive us to do what we do.
It is rarely one thing, but it is a host of things... and in the end, we tend to allow the rose colored glasses approach to our own motives, yet when examining anothers, we may not give another the same positive assesment or break.
How many have fallen under the critical gaze of another, a story, an event and if all a person heard was the other side, you feel wronged. But when you tell yours, it is slanted in your direction. rarely does anyone get the full glimpse of an event.... because people are often oblivious to the potential wrongs that were done by them.
The expression on the face, the volume of the voice, the fact that there were other options available or discussed.
We justify our wrong, while we highlight the other parties wrong.
I talked to a guy one time that was going through it. It was interesting that what he told me that day, was a lot different than what he had told me sometime back. Even our own stories change at times.
The point of my rambling. If this is true with conflict with another... how much more true is it when we deal with the internal conflict we all face in making decisions.
Flesh and Spirit
Profit and Ministry
Selfish and Selfless
And the list of influences could go on.
What are my motives?
You can start out in the spirit and then end up in the flesh.
You can start out right, but end up wrong.
Same things being accomplished, but driven by different things.
I did not start out in ministry for a reputation. I did not start out in ministry to have success. I did not start out in ministry to influence anyone.
I started out, because I reached a point that I realized I belonged to God. I surrendered my reputation, my definition of success and what I wanted to do in life to say yes to God.
But ... if I am not careful, I can allow the carnal motivation that at one time was on money, materialism and self, to simply be relabled to
Ministry... and it still be money, materialism and self.
It boils down to keeping our heart and motives right. And that is never easy.
God help me, that my Motives are and remain pure.
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