Service began with a beautiful time of worship leading into Pastor’s continued sermon series:
The Blessed Life. This week is Part Four and based on a message in the Beatitudes. Pastor has previously noted that our hearts and actions need to line up with the Lord, not with the world. God wants to protect and bless us but sometimes we step away from his path and thereby step away from his blessings.
Today the message is: Motives Matter. Most people want their motives to be good and pure all that time. However, since we are frail, selfish humans, that is not realistic. Wrong motives pollute, contaminate and taint. Often we deceive ourselves with twisted motives. We have excuses...
God knows what we are doing, and why we're doing it. Our motives.
Jesus is preaching the Beatitudes to the crowds when he shares in Matthew 5:8: God blesses those whose hearts are pure, for they will see God.
What is our motive for offering or even coming to church? Is it peer pressure; leverage? Or is an opportunity to worship and to fill-up on God power. Is our ultimate motive to lead others to Jesus?
The Point: Motives reveal the condition and direction of your heart. When your desires and motives line up with God, you won't be afraid to take big steps of faith.
Acts 8 tells the story of a Magician by the name of Simon. When he heard the preaching of Philip, he believed and was baptized. Later, Peter and John prayed for the new believers to receive the Holy Spirit. Simon offered them money for the ability to lay hands on and deliver the Holy Spirit to people. (verses 18-19). Peter rebuked Simon because his motives were wrong – he wanted the power for his own purpose, not to bring glory to God. Sharing the Holy Spirit is good, but it should not be encouraged in a trickster.
Galatians 6:7 “Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked.”
Proverbs 16:2 “All a person’s ways seem pure to them, but motives are weighed by the Lord.”
When your heart is pure, you see God everywhere!
What if aligning your motives would change your vision, what you see?
Join God in what He is doing instead of what you are doing.
God showed us His pure motive to bring us salvation because He loved us so much. To give us life. Ephesians 1:11-14; John 3:16.
See Him in your life. Ask God to motivate you each day.
I had several songs but this one seemed to work today.
A Verse for Today:Matthew 5:8 (NIV)
8 Blessed are the pure in heart,
for they will see God.
God, I pray that you guide my motives and that I may see You in everything in my life!
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