Motive can be defined as the primary reason for doing something; our motive can be hidden from view or not obvious to others. Our motives come from one of two sources, either our flesh, or the Holy Spirit. Though others can’t completely see our motives they can see the fruit from our motives. We know that "enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions… and things like these…” come from our flesh and do not bring any Glory to our Precious Savior. However, in God’s mercy He has given us His Holy Spirit that we can crucify the works of the flesh, through Christ atonement.
Brother Paul told us way after he had been born again and marvelously empowered by the Holy Spirit that He still obviously had to disciplined His body and make it His slave, so that, after he had preached to others, he himself would not be disqualified. For Christ will "bring to light the things hidden in the darkness and disclose the motives of men’s hearts; and then each man’s praise will come to him from God.”
If our motives spring forth from our flesh they will produce among many other things "enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions… and things like these…” Galatians 5:19-21. Fleshly motives always produce such and will not allow the world around us to know that we are Christ disciples, for if we don’t have love for one another we destroy the greatest action that reveals we are in fact Christ’s disciples.
However if our motives are of the Spirit they produce, "love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, [and] self-control…” Thus allowing us to "with humility of mind regard one another as more important than [ourselves],” and really be able to obey Christ command to us to love one another, even as He.. loved us, that we also love one another. For by this brothers and sisters all men will know that we truly are Christ’s disciples, if we truly have love for one another.”
My purpose with this post is to ask that we each examine our current motives, even asking the Holy Spirit to reveal them to us. Are they fleshly oriented, building up ourselves, our ministries, and for the purpose of revealing ourselves; or are our motives to truly build up others, Christ’s Ministry, and reveal Him to the world around us?