“All man’s ways seem right to him, but the Lord evaluates the motives.” (Proverbs 21:2 bold mine)

For those of us who are Christians, this verse begs the question, “What motivates our personal lifestyles, our philosophies, our belief systems, and our worldview?” If we are Christians, this question is extremely important, because depending on our answers, we may be at odds with God and don’t even realize it.  Some of us make a conscious decision to live our lives as we want to, leaving God out of our lives altogether.  Either way, we must be careful to remember that God has already set the standard of living for everyone who claims to be a Christians, and He does not change His mind about it.

God, in 1 John 2:15-16, warns us, “Do not love the world or the things that belong to the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in him. For everything that belongs to the world – the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of one’s lifestyle – is not from the Father, but is from the world.”

The world’s lifestyles, philosophies, belief systems and views are in opposition to God.  Therefore, as Christians, we cannot live for the world and live for God at the same time, no matter what our motives are, even if they seem justifiable to us.  This is a very serious matter, so serious that God puts it another way (Christians, pay attention):  “Adulteresses! Don’t you know that friendship with the world is hostility towards God? So whoever wants to be the world’s friend becomes God’s enemy (James 4:4)”.

No matter how we try to excuse our life’s choices, God knows our real motivation behind them.  What is the motive behind your lifestyle?  Is it to honor God, or is it to satisfy your own selfish desires?

So, then,

– how will you obey today’s Scriptures?

– With whom will you share today’s Scriptures?

– With whom will you share the story of your salvation and the story of what Jesus has done for you?

In christ’s love,

Phil