TOPIC: MOTIVES
SCRIPTURE: 1 Thessalonians 2:1-4 and Galatians 1:10
“You yourselves know dear brothers and sister, that our visit to you was not a failure. 2 You know how badly we had been treated at Philippi just before we came to you and how much we suffered there. Yet our God gave us the courage to declare His good news to you boldly, even though we were surrounded by many who opposed us. 3 So you can see that we were not preaching with any deceit or impure purposes or trickery. 4 For we speak as messengers, who have been approved by God to be entrusted with the Good News. Our purpose is to please God, not people. He is the one who examines the motives our hour hearts.”
Galatians 1:10 “Obviously, I’m not trying to be a people pleaser! No, I am trying to please God. If I were still trying to please people, I wound not be Christ’s servant.”
OBSERVATION: Paul mentions to the Thessalonians that they were aware of how he and Silas had been stripped and beaten with rods in Philippi because Paul commanded the demon to come out of a woman who was a fortune teller and made a fortune for her masters. Paul says that we came to you after we were beaten for sharing the Good News.
In other words we had every reason not to come and share the Good News of Jesus and our lives with you for fear of what might happen to us. Yet Paul says it was the courage that God gave them to preach to them even though they were surrounded by people who opposed them.
I see three major reasons for Paul’s motivation to keep doing what He knew was the right thing to do. 1) He knew that He was approved of by God. He had God’s acceptance and authority to do what He was called to do. 2) Paul realized that the only one that ultimately matters is God because He is the judge of our hearts and motives. 3) You cannot be a people pleaser and God pleaser at the same time.
APPLICATION: Regardless of how unpopular my decisions might be, I must be truthful with God and myself and do what I know is right. I must not let passed rejections and failures with people stop me from pursuing the path that God has laid out for me.
I confess that God has approved of me. He is the one who has called me, appointed me and anointed me. Secondly, Father God I confess that you are my judge and only you ultimately know my motives and what drives me. I commit to be pleasing to you today.
PRAYER: Father God, I come to you in Jesus name. I submit my heart and my desires to you in this very moment. I ask you to forgive me for not always standing firm and doing and saying what I know is right for fear of what people might say or do. Forgive me for fearing people and not fearing you. You are my judge. I fear you today. I want everything I think, feel and say to be pleasing to you today. I ask that you lead, guide and direct my paths and I put my trust in you. In Jesus name I pray.
