11 Feb Pure Motives
The word “pure” means clean, flawless or unadulterated. As we continue this series on our thinking, Philippians 4:8 says that we should think about things that are pure. The word “pure” appears countless times in Scripture and often refers to the state of our hearts. According to Scripture we should love one another (1 Pet 1:22) and call on God (2 Tim 2:22) with a pure heart. There is a verse that says to “create in me a pure heart (Psalm 51:10)” and another that reminds us that the pure in heart are blessed for they will see God (Matt 5:8). Obviously, having a pure heart is pretty important but what exactly does it have to do with our thinking?
Proverbs 16:2 says that “all a person’s ways seem pure to them, but motives are weighed by the Lord.” The test of our true purity is determined by the purity of our motives and our motives reflect our thinking, rationale and reasoning. We cannot have a pure heart with messed up, impure motives behind our actions. Yes, you may be giving to charity but are you doing it to help or are you doing it for praise? Yes, you may be going to church, but are you doing it out of a heart of worship or because you want to be seen? Regardless of how pure our actions may appear to us, God knows our motives. He knows what we are really thinking. Thus, in order to be pure in heart, we first have to have pure motives.
Reflection: What are your motives?
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