Heart Check

“So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you." ~ Matthew 6:2-4

There's a part of us that will always seek recognition for the good things we do or the accomplishments we achieve. It's just a part of our sin nature. The key is to deal with that part of ourselves and keep it in check.

Here, Jesus is saying, we need to check ourselves to make sure our motives are right and that our actions follow pure motives. Even mixed motives can be dangerous because they can drive our actions.

In all you do, make sure you make time for a heart/motive check. 

God bless,

J.W.

Prodded by Love

"Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins." ~ 1 Peter 4:8

Last week, during my trip down to Baltimore, I turned on the radio and listened to a sermon by a preacher named Pastor Mike Fabarez, Senior Pastor at the Compass Bible Church in South Orange County, CA.  On this particular day, he was preaching on the subject "Prodded by Love."

In it, Pastor Mike was encouraging his congregation and radio listeners to examine their life.  "Why am I doing this?" he urged us to ask ourselves.  "Why am I a part of this ministry?"  "Why do I go to work in the morning?"  "Why do I go to this church?"  "What motivates me to do the things that I do?"

His point: we should all examine our behavior because it often acts as a window to our motives.  In short, Pastor Mike says we should all be "prodded by love."  In other words, we should all be motivated to do what we do out of love, both for God and for His people.  Any other motive we have is impure and will ultimately lead to destruction.  It's the reason the world is that the way it is now.  Not enough people are prodded by love.

 

So, what are you prodded by today?  If it's not love, then what is it?  How can you change?

 

God bless,

J.W.