Purity of Motives

 

The Bible has a lot to say about our motives. A motive is the underlying reason for any action. Proverbs 16:2 says, “All a person’s ways seem pure to them, but motives are weighed by the LORD.” Because the human heart is very deceitful (Jeremiah 17:9), we can easily fool ourselves about our own motives. We can pretend that we are choosing certain actions for God or the benefit of others, when in reality we have selfish reasons. God is not fooled by our selfishness and is “a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12).

Human beings can operate from a variety of motivations, often negative. Pride, anger, revenge, a sense of entitlement, or the desire for approval can all be catalysts for our actions. Any motivation that originates in our sinful flesh is not pleasing to God (Romans 8:8). God even evaluates the condition of our hearts when we give offerings to Him (2 Corinthians 9:7). Selfish motives can hinder our prayers. James 4:3 says, “When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.” Because our hearts are so deceitful, we should constantly evaluate our own motives and be willing to be honest with ourselves about why we are choosing a certain action.

We can even preach and minister from impure motives (Philippians 1:17), but God is not impressed (Proverbs 21:27). Jesus spoke to this issue in Matthew 6:1 when He said, “Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.” Those involved in ministry must stay alert to this tendency toward selfishness, because ministry begun for pure reasons can quickly devolve into selfish ambition if we do not guard our hearts (Proverbs 4:23).

So what is the right motivation? First Thessalonians 2:4 says, “Our purpose is to please God, not people. He alone examines the motives of our hearts.” God is interested in our motives even more than our actions. First Corinthians 4:5 says that, when Jesus comes again, “he will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of the heart. At that time each will receive their praise from God.” God wants us to know that He sees what no one else sees. He knows why we do what we do and desires to reward those whose hearts are right toward Him. We can keep our motives pure by continually surrendering every part of our hearts to the control of the Holy Spirit.

Here are some specific questions to help us evaluate our own motives:

1. If no one ever knows what I am doing (giving, serving, sacrificing), would I still do it?
2. If there was no visible payoff for doing this, would I still do it?
3. Would I joyfully take a lesser position if God asked me to?
4. Am I doing this for the praise of others or how it makes me feel?
5. If I had to suffer for continuing what God has called me to do, would I continue?
6. If others misunderstand or criticize my actions, will I stop?
7. If those whom I am serving never show gratitude or repay me in any way, will I still do it?
8. Do I judge my success or failure based upon my faithfulness to what God has asked me to do, or how I compare with others?

Personal satisfactions are not wrong in themselves. Motivation becomes an issue when we are not honest with ourselves about why we are doing things. When we give the outward appearance of obeying God but our hearts are hard, God knows. We are deceiving ourselves and others, too. The only way we can operate from pure motives is when we “walk in the Spirit” (Galatians 5:16, 25). When we allow Him to control every part of us, then our desire is to please Him and not ourselves. Our flesh constantly clamors to exalt itself, and only when we walk in the Spirit will we not gratify those desires of our flesh.  (From: https://www.gotquestions.org/Bible-motives.html)

 

Purity of Thoughts

 

One of the major areas of attack on the missionary is in his or her thought life.  The apostle Paul recognized the incredible power of our thought life. He understood that the way we think determines how we feel and how we live. When we guard our hearts with right thinking, we develop healthier attitudes that lead to righteous living. For this reason, in Philippians 4:8, Paul prescribed an inventory of virtues to occupy the believer’s mind: “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.”

What does it mean to think on whatever is pure? According to one commentary, the words think on or think about mean “to ponder, to give proper weight and value to, and to allow the resultant appraisal to influence the way life is to be lived” (Motyer, J. A., The Message of Philippians, InterVarsity Press, 1984, p. 212). The word pure here means “holy” in the sense of “moral purity.”

Thinking on whatever is pure entails filling our minds with thoughts that are innocent, virtuous, clean, not contaminated by anything evil, and free from every defilement. Pure thinking should infuse every area of our lives, including what we watch, read, and do. Our thoughts of a sensual nature, morality, ethics, spirituality, and worship all need to be characterized as pure. Thinking about whatever is pure will lead us away from sin, guilt, and shame and closer to God.

Jesus said it’s not exterior things that make us impure but what’s on the inside—that which comes out of the heart: “It’s not what goes into your body that defiles you; you are defiled by what comes from your heart” (Mark 7:15). We must hide the pureness of God’s Word securely in our hearts to keep from sinning against God (Psalm 119:11). We do this by reading His Word, memorizing it, and meditating on it day and night.

The psalmist declared, “The words of the LORD are pure words, like silver refined in a furnace on the ground, purified seven times” (Psalm 12:6, ESV; cf. 119:140). Psalm 119:9 asks and answers, “How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to your word” (ESV). Continually reflecting on the Word of God is one of the most valuable ways we can guard our hearts and ensure we are thinking on whatever is pure (Psalm 19:8).

To consistently think on whatever is pure, believers must “take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5). James teaches, “To the pure, all things are pure, but to those who are corrupted and do not believe, nothing is pure. In fact, both their minds and consciences are corrupted” (James 3:17, ESV).

Paul taught the Ephesians that, before salvation, their thoughts were “full of darkness” (Ephesians 5:8). The unsaved wander far from God because their minds are hardened and closed to Him (Ephesians 4:18). Unbelievers have “no sense of shame. They live for lustful pleasure and eagerly practice every kind of impurity” (Ephesians 4:19, NLT). But Christians “throw off the old sinful nature and former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception,” and allow the Holy Spirit to renew their thoughts and attitudes (Ephesians 4:22–23, NLT).

Paul’s encouragement to think on whatever is pure has the goal of producing purity of thought, purpose, words, and actions. To the spiritual leader, Paul said, “Keep yourself pure” (1 Timothy 5:22). The apostle desired to present his spiritual children “as a pure bride to one husband—Christ” (2 Corinthians 11:2, NLT).

The apostle John also urged God’s children—those who longed to see Jesus face to face—to “keep themselves pure, just as he is pure” (1 John 3:3, NLT). Whenever we find ourselves drifting from God, we ought to pray like David, “Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. . . . Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me” (Psalm 51:7–10). The Christian’s entire way of life ought to be a never-ending quest to stay pure, “for he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight” (Ephesians 1:4).  (From https://www.gotquestions.org/whatever-is-pure.html)

 

Guard Your Heart

 

Proverbs 4:23–26 instructs believers to, “above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it. Keep your mouth free of perversity; keep corrupt talk far from your lips. Let your eyes look straight ahead; fix your gaze directly before you. Give careful thought to the paths for your feet and be steadfast in all your ways.” When Solomon refers to guarding the heart, he really means the inner core of a person—the thoughts, feelings, desires, will, and choices that make that person who he/she is. The Bible tells us that our thoughts often dictate who we become (Proverbs 23:7; 27:19). The mind of a man reflects who he really is, not simply his actions or words. That is why God examines the heart of a man, not simply his outward appearance and what he appears to be (1 Samuel 16:7).

Every Christian is locked in a constant, intense war with demonic forces. Many of us become so intent on fighting the external spiritual war that we forget that much of our battle is not with external forces, but with our own mind and thoughts. James 1:14–16 tells us, “Each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death. Don’t be deceived, my dear brothers and sisters.” Sin always begins in the mind. A sinner must first conceive and dwell on the sinful action before he actually carries it out. The first line of defense, therefore, must be to refuse to even contemplate a wrongful action. The apostle Paul tells us to take every thought captive, so that it conforms to the will of God (2 Corinthians 10:3–5).

Avoiding anger, pride, and temptation are also critical elements of guarding the heart. The apostle Paul instructs us, “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things” (Philippians 4:8). Dwelling on these things will help to build a guard fence around our hearts.  (From: https://www.gotquestions.org/guard-your-heart.html)