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Glory

God’s glory is to be my highest motive. God wants me to know that He sees what no one else sees.

He knows why I do what I do and desires to reward those whose hearts are right toward Him. My focus has to be on Jesus the Messiah and His cross.

I can keep my motives pure by continually surrendering every part of my heart to the control of the Holy Spirit and seeking His glory.

Whoever speaks, is to do so as one who is speaking the utterances of God; whoever serves is to do so as one who is serving by the strength which God supplies; so that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus the Messiah, to whom belongs the glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. | 1 Peter 4:11

So what is the right motivation? 1 Thessalonians 2:4 says, “Our purpose is to please God, not people. He alone examines the motives of our hearts” (NLT). God is interested in my motives even more than my actions. 1 Corinthians 4:5 says that, when Jesus comes again, “he will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of the heart. At that time each will receive their praise from God.”

Because the human heart is very deceitful (Jeremiah 17:9), I can easily fool myself about my own motives. I can pretend that I am choosing certain actions for God or the benefit of others, when in reality I have selfish reasons. God is not fooled by my selfishness and is “a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12).