What is my motivation, is it a good thing?
Psalms 26:1-3 A psalm of David. Declare me innocent, O LORD, for I have acted with integrity; I have trusted in the LORD without wavering. 2 Put me on trial, LORD, and cross-examine me. Test my motives and my heart. 3 For I am always aware of Your unfailing love, and I have lived according to Your truth.1 Samuel 24:15-19 May the LORD therefore judge which of us is right and punish the guilty one. He is my advocate, and He will rescue me from your power!"
16 When David had finished speaking, Saul called back, "Is that really you, my son David?" Then he began to cry. 17 And he said to David, "You are a better man than I am, for you have repaid me good for evil. 18 Yes, you have been amazingly kind to me today, for when the LORD put me in a place where you could have killed me, you didn't do it. 19 Who else would let his enemy get away when he had him in his power? May the LORD reward you well for the kindness you have shown me today.
It takes a lot of confidence to say to God "Judge me, go ahead, put me on trial" In David's experiences with King Saul we see that David had an incredible amount of integrity. David had a clear conscience in how he handled the threats that Saul was making, I don't know how pure my thoughts would be about somebody that was trying to kill me, but David didn't let fear get in the way of what he believed about God.
"I have done what is right," David says "My motives were pure" King Saul could have been assassinated by David but David didn't make a power grab to get what was already promised to him, instead he waited for God to take care of fulfilling his promise. It would have been easy to jump at the opportunity to "help God" and accomplish God's work for him without worrying about the means.
David said "Your love for me is my motivation for trying to please you" His love should be all we need to motivate us to live so that he will be pleased with us. How incredible is that? What better motivation do I need? The God of this universe loves me and has a plan for me to spend eternity with him in paradise, could there be any better reason to please him in the way that I live?
I need to be careful that I don't work around God in order to accomplish what he has asked me to do, all I have to do is to continue to please him with my life, I just have to focus on "who" (that's Jesus) and he will take care of the "how" he is going to accomplish it.
Forgive me Lord when I try to do things my way, I pray that everything that I do will be selfless and loving, help me to be able to say that my motives are pure.
