Unmasking Motives | Galatians 1:10

For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ. — Galatians 1:10

CALL OUT: Shout out today to Chris Keeper from Minnesota, who is hosting me as his keynote speaker this coming weekend at the Big Sandy Men's Retreat. I am fired up and ready to go.

This text drives to the root issue with the churches in Galatia. From how Paul states this, it is clear that some were questioning Paul's message by questioning his motives as the messenger. So Paul barks back at these accusations about his motivations.

But what's ironic about Paul's defense is that the matter at hand is misaligned motives. But it's not Paul's motives that should be in question. It's the motives of the religious legalists who are manipulating the message to serve their means.

When it comes to your relationship with God, your motives are everything. They are the silent force behind what you do and why you do it. But a fully surrendered believer has a keen awareness of this. They know that nothing is hidden from God (Hebrews 4:13). They understand that God judges their actions and their motives (1 Samuel 16:7). They know that God sees everything and that, eventually, they will have to give an account of their motives to him (Hebrews 4:13).

This means believers should be some of the most honest, open, and transparent (H.O.T.) people alive. We should never have anything to hide from God or others. Every unrighteous motive should be exposed and sharpened against the truth of the Gospel. When surrendered to Christ, we become slaves of Christ to live no more for our motivation but for his.

And this is Paul's point. He is only the messenger of a message that is not his; therefore, he is motivated by his motive and not his own.

So if you are hiding something today and your motives are impure or you are working to please man, confess and repent and get those misaligned motives properly aligned.

#HeartCheck #AlignWithGod #SurrenderedLife #TransparentFaith #MotivesMatter

ASK THIS:

How can you cultivate a deeper awareness of your motives in your daily actions and decisions?
Are there areas of your life where you struggle with aligning your motives with God's will, and what steps can you take to surrender those areas to Christ?

DO THIS: Get your motives aligned.

PRAY THIS: Lord, help me to examine my motives honestly and surrender them to you, knowing that true servanthood comes from aligning my heart with yours. Grant me the strength to live transparently before you and others, reflecting your truth and grace in all I do. Amen.

PLAY THIS: Stay Strong.