Pure Motives or People Pleaser?

　
Today as I was reading my Bible the verse from Galatians 1:10 really spoke to me, "Am I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God,?" "If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ." That is pretty much saying that there is no way I can worry about what others think of me and serve God. So many times I have had to stop what I was doing and ask myself the question, "am I doing this for Jesus or for the praise of man?" If my motives are wrong, then I am not serving Christ. How many times do we have the wrong motives when we do things! A pastor who takes a job at a church for more money instead of following where the Lord leads him, the person who is doing things to appear spiritual on the outside, helping someone in need just for others to see, tithing only out of obligation instead of giving joyfully to the Lord who has blessed you abundantly. God cares much more about our motives than about our deeds. It is so important for us to examine our motives in all we do. So many times we choose professions for the money, for the recognition, instead of relying on where God calls us. We can only find contentment in life when we are living each and every day being led by the Spirit. Maybe God has called you to be a doctor, a lawyer, a teacher, a mother, or a waitress. Our value isn’t found in what we do, but is found in who we are in Jesus Christ. Currently I am a stay at home mother and I can’t tell you how many days I feel like I am JUST a mother as if I have no importance. Being a mother seldom gets any recognition. No one tells me, "good job, keep up the good work, your work is paying off, etc. I have always struggled with the opinions of others and God is using motherhood to mold me into someone that lives for Him and Him alone. When I do the dishes, clean the house, calm crying kids, I remember that God sees what I am doing and even though I’m JUST a mother, what I do matters because it’s all for Him. Realizing not everyone is going to agree with my decisions and convictions and being o.k. with that is just a part of spiritual maturity. When our motives isn’t pure, we’re not fooling God. God knows every motive of the heart and only things done for the glory of God will last.

Proverbs 16:2
I Chronicles 28:9
I Corinthians 4:5
Romans 9:20
Galatians 1:10