Unrighteous motives.

Day 150

OT Reading: 1 Chronicles 28-29

NT Reading: John 11:47-57

Day 150. Did you catch that? Day 150! Holy cow. We have come so far in reading, and yet...we have so much more to cover. With that, I'd like to offer an emphasis on part of one of the verses we read today.

During David's charge to Solomon we read this little snippet, "And you, my son Solomon, acknowledge the God of your father, and serve him with wholehearted devotion and with a willing mind, for the Lord searches every heart and understands every motive behind the thoughts..." (1 Chronicles 28:9a, NIV)

It was that second part that really jumped out at me. Before David says anything about the actions...before he gets into the specific rights and wrongs of activity, David points out to Solomon God examines even the motives of our hearts.

And I don't really like that because...well I don't always feel like doing the right thing. Even when I may do the right activity, it may not be for the right reason. There are plenty of occasions where my primary motivation to act properly is because of how my actions might reflect on my family, my church and my God. In other words, there are plenty of times that I do the right thing because of what others will see, and not because I have the right motives.

Don't get me wrong, this element of accountability can be beneficial. But at a deeper level it just brings me to the recognition of how unrighteous I really am. That any time I work from an impure motive, God is offended and therefore I have sinned. Kind of sobering that even if I do something right...I might be doing it for the wrong reasons. Which makes me even more thankful that my goodness and righteousness are not dependent on anything I do...but instead are based solely in what has been done for me.