Why?

the Work of God,

Few words in the dictionary have the power to reveal more about us and our true intentions than the word: WHY

Two people can do exactly the same thing, but for very different reasons. And it is the reason behind what is done, that will determine whether that action will be accepted by God or not.

Let’s take as an example what the Lord Jesus said in Matthew 6:5: “And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men.”

Surely everyone will agree that praying is a good thing. Actually, there is no other way to connect to God (whether in thoughts or words) than through prayer. But here, Jesus is showing us that even when we pray, it has to be for the right reason.

This principle needs to be applied to everything we do:

• Why do we serve our authorities (boss/manager/parents, etc) in humility? Is that humility genuine, or are we trying to get into that person’s good books to somehow eventually get a reward?
• Why do we want to get married? Are we aiming to team up with someone of the same faith and serve God together until the end of our days, building His Kingdom here on earth? Or are we really only thinking of ourselves, because we want to meet our physical and emotional needs, while adding some good pictures on social media for good measure.
• Why do we dream of a promotion, a new car, a new job, etc? Do we want to glorify God with our testimony and build His Kingdom with our prosperity, or are we really wanting to flaunt this success as our own and fulfil personal ambitions of a jet-set lifestyle?
• Why do we want to lose those extra pounds? Do we want to make sure we are minimising the risk of disease as much as possible, because we want to be as healthy for as long as we can to always be useful in the work of God? Or do we want to look better in pictures, attract someone we might be interested in, or even look a little more attractive in clothes we couldn’t wear before.

No matter who you are, or what your role in the work of God is, take some time every day before you make a decision and examine the real reason that you are going to do something.

Remember – two people can do the same thing, but for very different reasons.