" MOTIVES "

MOTIVES: SOMETHING(as a need or desire) that causes a person to act 2 : a recurrent theme in a musical composition 3 : motif 4 : moving to action 2 : of or relating to motion. Evaluate your " Motives " before criticizing others. Before criticizing someone else, we need to pause long enough to discover our own Motives. Failing to do this can bring disastrous results. Now, what is often labeled " CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM " may actually be destructive jealousy, 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? People can find an excuse for doing almost anything, but God looks behind the excuses to the Motives of the heart. We often have to make choices in areas where the right action is difficult to discern. We can help ourselves make such decisions by trying to identify our Motives first and then asking, " Would God be pleased with my real reasons for doing this? " God is not pleased when we do good deeds only to receive something in return. Selfish Motives are a barrier to prayer. Now Jesus spoke of the Nation Of Israel and the religious leaders in particular. Just cleaning up one's life without filling it with God, leaves plenty of room for satan to enter. The Book of EZRA records how the people rid themselves of idolatry, but failed to replace it with love for God and obedience to him ridding our lives of sin is the first step. We must also take the second step: filling our lives with God's Word and the Holy Spirit unfilled and complacent people are easy targets for satan. From this day forward may your Motives be sincere. Until Next Time... Jim,