#motivations

Take the Pharisees for example.

On the surface, they were the ideal for the religious Jewish life. They were zealous for God and the Torah, they were teachers of the word and called to the honorable duty of serving God Himself.

And yet, it was God Himself that rebuked the Pharisees for their adherence to blasphemous tradition, and their love for applause over their love for the Lord.

They gave to the poor to be seen by others. They fasted so that others could observe them doing so. They prayed in synagogues and street corners because they were more concerned about being heard by others than being heard by the God whom they were serving.

Jesus made it explicitly clear that was He was looking for was a genuine heart that longed after God. He was not on the market looking for white washed tombs and dens of vipers.

Think about it this way. God calls us to keep our rooms (our souls, hearts, and minds) clean and tidy, and He will not be fooled by us stuffing our things haphazardly into the closet and under the rug. Those who worship the Father must do so in spirit and in truth.

Now, does this mean that we always have to obey God with a smile on our face? Not at all. Even Jesus was hesitant to go to the cross, and asked to avoid it if were possible.

The great thing about obeying God is that you don’t have to want to do it, He just asks that you do so. You don’t have to want to obey your parents, but you do so anyways because you love and respect them. The same applies here. You don’t have to want to obey God (and let’s face it, a lot of times we don’t), but He just wants us to be willing vessels for His Holy Spirit; willing partners in His plan for saving this lost world.

And if we aren’t, God will give us over to what we want.

Be sure to know where your heart is pointed towards. God will not tolerate those who claim to know Him but are leading His children astray. Seeking either the Kingdom or the world will make a literal hell of a difference.