MOTIVES OF THE HEART
“It’s true that some are preaching out of jealousy and rivalry. But others preach about Christ with pure motives. They preach because they love me, for they know I have been appointed to defend the Good News. Those others do not have pure motives as they preach about Christ. They preach with selfish ambition, not sincerely, intending to make my chains more painful to me. But that doesn’t matter. Whether their motives are false or genuine, the message about Christ is being preached either way, so I rejoice. And I will continue to rejoice.” Philippians 1:15-18 NLT
One of the chief qualities that Paul possessed after his conversion is that Christ was at the center of all his actions and thoughts.
He can confidently say “I know how to be abased and how to abound” because his primary concern was to give glory to God by preaching faithfully the message entrusted to him and at all cost. Whether affirmation came or not, applauds or chains, false accusations or appraisal, it did not matter as long as Christ was being preached.
Today many draw back to perdition or burn out from obeying the call because somewhere along the lines ministry, marriage, friendships and church became about them and not about Christ. Let us all yield to the holy spirit to search our hearts of any grievous ways to God (Psalm 139:23) and be willing to confess and correct what is revealed.
It is true that the heavy burdens and hard yokes that we identify cannot be of Christ, and that should always be the litmus test for our motives. Praise God!
Prayer: Father I thank you for this wisdom. I don’t concern my self with matters too great for me. Your spirit is ever present instructing me in the way to go and I strive to always obey and yield to the sure wisdom he provides. It will be said of me that your name was glorified through my life, in Jesus name.
CI.