“All a person’s ways seem right to him, but the Lord weighs motives.” – Proverbs 16:2
We have a remarkable ability to rationalize just about anything to ourselves! Once we have a notion of what we want to do, our self-convincing engine gets to work and we can construct elaborate explanations about why it’s right to do the very thing we want to do. Even when it’s objectively wrong and directly contradictory to Scripture! However, that’s the tip of the iceberg. Often we construct explanations for seemingly godly activities that are really being done for our own purposes. Contrary to the preaching of Disney, our hearts are terribly deceitful, most of all to ourselves (see Jeremiah 17:9 for more details).
God sees through all that! He doesn’t fall for our rationalizations, excuses, false comparisons, and contorted logic. He knows exactly why we want to do the thing we may spend minutes, hours, days, or years defending. He knows if we’re acting out of anger, pride, greed, ambition, or other ungodly motives. Understand this, God is vastly more concerned with the motives behind your actions than your defense of those actions (see Matthew 5-7 for more details).
The people of God cannot accomplish the work of God from sinful motives. The most pious sounding action driven by anger won’t yield God-glorifying results. Likewise for greed, ambition, pride, or any of the other ungodly motives that sometimes drive seemingly godly activity.
Whenever you prepare to speak or act, take time to reflect on why. Rather than continuing to rehearse your rationalization to yourself, always stop to reflect on your motives. Why are you doing what you are doing? Is it truly to advance God’s Kingdom and bring Him glory? Or is this something you’re doing for yourself?