Search Your Motives

SEARCH YOUR MOTIVES

MAIN TEXT: PROVERBS 21:2

Every way of a man is right in his own eyes, But the Lord weighs the hearts.

PROVERBS 16:2

All the ways of a man are pure in his own eyes, But the Lord weighs the spirits.

Our motive always must reflect a desire to please God, and not to impress people.

This alerts us to be conscious always of the motive of our actions. Proverbs 21:2 says that “every way of a man seems right in his eyes, but the Lord weighs the heart”, because we too can be self-deceived; we must ask the Lord to expose the inner motives that cast shadow across our minds and dim our spiritual discernment (Ps. 139:24).

In the same manner, before criticizing someone else, we need to pause long enough to discover our even motive. Failing to do this can bring disastrous results. What is often termed “constructive criticism may actually be destructive jealously, since the easiest way to raise our own status is to bring someone down. Are you willing to question your motives before you offer criticism? Does the critical finger you point need to be pointed first toward you? The motives behind criticism are always more important to deal with than the criticism itself. Therefore child of God, be conscious of the motives of your criticism always to avoid wrong interpretation of your motive.

CHECK YOUR MOTIVES AND ACTIONS TODAY

SCRIPTURAL REFERENCES: PROVERBS 16:1-11. JEREMIAH 10:23-24