Motive Distortion

Colin Harbinson recently presented this message at our OM office. He leads an initiative called StoneWorks.

My motive may be distorted if . . .

        ❑        I love serving God more than I love God Himself
        Phillipians 1
        Revelation 2:1-7

        ❑        I meet needs because I have a need to be needed
        (hint: there will always be need)
        And Jesus was not motivated by need. He did what the father told him to do.
        God requires obedience.

        ❑        I am afraid to say “no” because I fear rejection.
        So many people do not have boundaries & when we take on too much, we run out of grace.

        ❑        I think I am the only one who can do it right.
        (this is pride)

        ❑        I live my Christian walk out of a sense of guilt.

        ❑        I “perform” to get God’s attention and approval.
        If this happened in your childhood, we can take this into our relationship with the LORD.)
        There will never be a day the rest of your life that God doesn’t love you any more than he does today.
        Why was Jesus so hard on the Pharisees? Because they preached a gospel of “acceptance by performance.”

        ❑        I build my own Kingdom, not God’s Kingdom.
        Unless the Lord builds the house, the workers labor in vain. Psalm 127:1

        ❑        I confuse obedience with sacrifice.
        People in ministry do it all the time, they sacrifice time, money, family, marriages thinking it will please God.
        Billy Graham wishes after a lifetime of ministry that he would have spent more time with his children.

        ❑        I have an unBiblical view of priorities.
        It is not a list with God at the top. Instead put your priorities on a horizontal level and let God intersect all areas.
        Listen to God and respond in obedience.