 The Treasury
MOTIVES
HOW CAN WE UNDERSTAND
OUR OWN MOTIVES?
READING: Genesis 27:1-46
KEY VERSE: “But Mother!” Jacob replied. “He won’t be fooled
that easily. Think how hairy Esau is and how smooth my skin is! What if my
father touches me? He’ll see that I’m trying to trick him, and then he’ll curse
me instead of blessing me.” (Genesis 27:11-12)
HOW WE REACT TO A
MORAL DILEMMA OFTEN EXPOSES OUR REAL MOTIVES.
Frequently we are more worried about getting caught than
about doing what is right. Jacob did not seem concerned about the deceitfulness
of his mother’s plan; instead he was afraid of getting in trouble while
carrying it out. If you are worried about getting caught, you are probably in a
position that is less than honest. Let your fear of getting caught be a warning
to do right. Jacob paid a huge price for carrying out this dishonest plan.
READING: Jeremiah 17:1-18
KEY VERSE: The human heart is most deceitful and desperately
wicked. Who really knows how bad it is? But I know! I, the LORD, search all
hearts and examine secret motives. I give all people their due rewards,
according to what their actions deserve. (Jeremiah 17:9-10)
ONLY GOD UNDERSTANDS
OUR REAL MOTIVES.
God makes it clear why we sin-it’s a matter of the heart.
Our heart has been inclined toward sin from the time we were born. It is easy
to fall into the routine of forgetting and forsaking God. But we can still
choose whether or not to continue in sin. We can yield to a specific
temptation, or we can ask God to help us resist temptation when it comes.
READING: James 4:1-12
KEY VERSE: And even when you do ask, you don’t get it
because your whole motive is wrong-you want only what will give you pleasure.
(James 4:3)
PROBLEMS WITH PEOPLE
ARE OFTEN CLUES THAT WRONG MOTIVES ARE AT WORK.
Conflicts and disputes among believers are always harmful.
James explains that these quarrels result from evil desires battling within
us-we want more possessions, more money, higher status, more recognition. We
will even fight in order to fulfil these desires. Instead of aggressively
grabbing what we want, we should submit ourselves to God, ask God to help us
get rid of our selfish desires, and trust him to give us what we really need.
PROBLEMS IN PRAYER
ARE OFTEN CLUES THAT WRONG MOTIVES ARE AT WORK.
James mentions the most common problems in prayer: not
asking, asking for the wrong things, asking for the wrong reasons. Do you talk
to God at all? When you do, what do you talk about? Do you ask only to satisfy
your desires? Do you seek God’s approval for what you already plan to do? Your
prayers will become powerful when you allow God to change your desires so that
they perfectly correspond to his will for you (1 John
3:21-22). Previous Articles: The Power Of Confession
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