motive counts"a lot!

Reference: Matthew 6:1 “Watch out! Don’t do your good deeds publicly, to be admired by others, for you will lose the reward from your Father in heaven.

Observation: Jesus makes it clear that it is not enough simply to give to others, to pray or to fast, we need to think about why we are doing it. So many times, when we are doing things “for God”, it is because we want to be seen as “spiritual” or “holy” by others. God warns us against this motivation. He only rewards those things we do for Him alone. If we want the “reward” of public recognition, we will lose our reward from God. What He has to give is much better than what people can give.

Application/Confession: I need to be careful about what I say about my spiritual life in my sermons. It is too easy to drift into boasting. Again, it is the motive that matters. I want to be a good example but I don’t want to lose my reward from God. It is He who I serve.

PRAYER: Help me, Lord, to have the wisdom to know how to preach about my personal spiritual disciplines and encourage others by my example without bragging or lifting myself up. Warn me when I am entering a place of wrong motivation.