" CHECK YOUR MOTIVES "

OK, here we go again, it's time for us to truly CHECK OUR MOTIVES. I just love to hear the Lord's perspective before I mess up. It's to painful for me to look back and re-experience what happened because I didn't talk to God first. If our Motives are pure, we don't have to be afraid to ask great things from God. When we ask God for great power or ability, we need to examine our desires and get rid of any selfishness we find. To have the Holy Spirit's help, we must be willing to ask. Now, we must learn that an action that may not be wrong in itself can be sinful if it is motivated by greed, arrogance, or selfishness. Often our motives, not the action itself, contain the sin. Now I've learned from personal experience that we must constantly weigh our motives before we act. In dealing with people, we must find out all the facts before making up our minds. Now we shouldn't automatically assume that their motives are wrong, even if their plans sound suspicious. How we react to a Moral Dilemma often exposes our real Motives. Frequently we are more worried about getting caught than about doing what is right. Now, if you are worried about getting caught, you are probably in a position that is less than honest. Let your fear of getting caught be a warning to do right. Please be mindful that we can pay a huge price for carrying out a dishonest plan. LAST POINT: Before Criticizing someone else, we should pause long enough to discover our own Motives. Failing to do this can bring disastrous results. What is often labeled " CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM " may actually be DESTRUCTIVE JEALOUSLY, since the easiest way to raise our own status is to bring someone else down. Are you willing to question your Motives before you offer Criticism? Does the Critical Finger You Point Need To Be Pointed First Toward Yourself?