Motives

PROVERBS 16:2 NLT “People may be pure in their own eyes, but the LORD examines their motives.”

Motives are important to God. God is interested in WHY we do things, not just in WHAT we do. Why do you do what you do? Is it to help others? Is it to please God? Or do you live focused totally on yourself? These questions are important to ask ourselves. As 1 Corinthians 11:31 says, “if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged.”  Your motive is also important in receiving answers to your prayers (James 4:3). Concerning other people, you must use caution when trying to judge other people. You do not know their motives. Proverbs 21:2 TLB “We can justify our every deed, but God looks at our motives.” We often justify ourselves, but judge others harshly. We may judge ourselves based on our good intentions, but we are only capable of judging others by their actions, since we do know their motives. So, we must be very cautious about judging others in a condemning way. One main reason we are not qualified to judge others is because we do not know their thoughts, intentions, and motives. Only God does.