You may not see Him doing it but as we do something… as we contemplate on doing something… as we open our mouths to say something… God is beside us looking at our hearts. “God is looking for a heart of worship, a heart of servitude,” says Our Daily Bread. “At the heart of worship should be worship from the heart.”
7 The Lord doesn’t see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart. 1 SAMUEL 16 nlt
3 The Lord tests the heart. PROVERBS 17
2 …Motives are weighed by the Lord. PROVERBS 16
What matters to God is not what we do but why we do it. It’s not what we say but why we say it. It’s not the act He’s after, but our intention or motive for the act (Proverbs 21:2, 20:27). And what motive is pleasing to God?
14 Most of all, let love guide your life. COLOSSIANS 3 tlb
14 Do everything in love. 1 CORINTHIANS 16
LOVE distinguishes righteousness from goodness. What is the difference between the two? Righteousness is good thought, good work or good word propelled by love. Goodness is good thought, good work or good word NOT propelled by love.
Throughout the Scripture, God calls for righteousness—not really for goodness. Righteousness is what makes a child of God, what sets him apart from the rest of humanity.
34 Awake to righteousness. 1 CORINTHIANS 15 nkjv
6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. MATTHEW 5
11 [Be] filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Y’shua the Messiah—to the glory and praise of God. PHILIPPIANS 1
12 Plant the good seeds of righteousness, and you will harvest a crop of love. HOSEA 10 nlt
Lucifer is capable of doing goodness but not righteousness. When he does something good, his motive cannot be LOVE. For there is neither love of God nor love of man in him. He lost it even before the creation of man. The motive behind his good works is selfishness. Our good works if not propelled by LOVE may be no different to the good works of Lucifer.
10 In this the children of God are manifest and the children of the devil: Whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither is he that loveth not his brother. 1 JOHN 3 kjv
It has been made known what fate awaits those who do good works but not for LOVE.
22 Many will say to Me on that day, “Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?” 23 Then I will tell them plainly, “I never knew you. Away from Me, you evildoers!” MATTHEW 7
The papal bull Cantate Domino claims that only Roman Catholics would enter the kingdom of God. The Iglesia ni Kristo claims that only its church members would. Sad to say, corporate affiliation will not carry anyone to the kingdom; only righteousness will.
8 [The Lord] will judge the world in righteousness. PSALM 9
11 God is a righteous judge. PSALM 7
The popular belief is that doing good works and refraining from doing evil are enough to get us to the kingdom. Sad to say, that is a satanic teaching. To those who live by this understanding, the Lord would say:
42 I know you. I know that you do not have love of God in your hearts. JOHN 5
When we fall in love, we learn the things that please our loved one and do them. We court his or her pleasure and company, and do it with joy and gladness, even with long-suffering if needed. If this is how we profess love for a fellow mortal, how should we profess love for the Immortal One?
5 The Lord loves righteousness. PSALM 33
7 For the Lord is righteous. PSALM 11
Good works not motivated by LOVE make God unhappy; it does not please Him. King Amaziah did what he thought was pleasing in God’s sight but God was not pleased. Why?
2 He did what was right from Adonai’s perspective, but not wholeheartedly. 2 CHRONICLES 25 cjb
A person may be gifted by the Spirit of God, but if its use is not motivated by LOVE, then such use is not appreciated in heaven. It was this point that St. Paul wanted to emphasize when he wrote:
1 If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3 If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing. 1 CORINTHIANS 13
Listen to the advice of King David to his son:
9 And you, my son Solomon, acknowledge the God of your father, and serve Him with wholehearted devotion, for the Lord searches every heart and understands every motive behind the thoughts. 1 CHRONICLES 28
LOVE should be preeminent in our every deed. In the Gospel of the Hebrews, Y’shua said to His disciples, “And never be joyful except when you look on your brother with LOVE."
13 Go and learn what this means: I desire mercy [LOVE], not sacrifice. MATTHEW 9
The teacher of the Law in Mark 12:28 remarked:
32 Well said, teacher. You are right in saying that God is one and there is no other but Him. 33 To love Him with all your heart, with all your understanding and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is more important than all the burnt offerings and sacrifices. 34 When Y’shua saw that he answered wisely, He said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” MARK 12
Lucifer removed the LOVE Commandment from the Ten-C. Why? Because if we are without it, the purpose for which we are created is defeated. The LOVE Commandment is the sun around which all the other commandments revolve. It tells us to do everything in LOVE. The other commandments tell us how.
40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments [love of God and love of neighbor]. MATTHEW 22
31 There is no other commandment greater than these. MARK 12
9 The commandments Do not commit adultery, Do not murder, Do not steal, Do not covet, and whatever other commandment there may be are summed up in this one rule: Love your neighbor as yourself. 10 Love is the fulfillment of the Law. ROMANS 13
Observance of the commandments must be motivated by LOVE. Having said that, none of these motives is acceptable to God:
§ To observe for the sake of obeying. Such observance is mechanical and lifeless.
§ To observe so as not to fall under the judgment and wrath of God. Such observance is motivated by fear. It is debased, a behavior fit only for animals.
§ To observe in order to be blessed with healing or prosperity or some other favor. Such observance is motivated by materialism and selfishness, which is most ungodly.
§ To observe so as to yield to peer or social pressure.
A Messianic group attends Sabbath services and does tithing because their lady employer requires them to. Stop tithing and from attending church if your motive in doing them is not love of God. Why? Because any act or sacrifice that is not meant for God is meant for somebody else. It does not please God. There is no spiritual gain whatsoever for you.
Tithing and attending church fellowships are called for religious acts. But religiosity with love of God missing in it is not righteousness at all but rather insipid and worthless do-nothing in God’s sight.
We check the fuel of our car before driving. We check our wallet before leaving the house. We must also make a habit of checking our motive before we do or say anything.
23 Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life. PROVERBS 4 nlt
Also check the righteousness of every one who poses as a God-worshiper, especially as a man of God. Many Christian churches and individuals have been duped because they did not check the posers for their righteousness. If LOVE is not the focal point of the poser’s words and actions, if there is inconsistency between them, then he is a pretender. Beware, for he is a wolf in sheep’s clothing.
1 Do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God. 1 JOHN 4
16 By [their] fruits you shall recognize [them]. MATTHEW 7
30 He who is not with Me is against Me. MATTHEW 12
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Indeed those who are NOT motivated by Love in what they do falls prey to the devil's plan of trying to EARN something that God has already provided by Grace. Paul states in Gal. 5:4 "You who are trying to be justified by law have been alienated from Christ; you have FALLEN AWAY FROM GRACE."
ReplyDeleteBy faith in Christ, God has ALREADY PROVIDE OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS: "He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him". - THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD IN CHRIST!
God has indeed taken out all the STRIVING IN DOING from all believers and in essence GIVING US LIBERTY to LOVE HIM IN ALL WE DO WITHOUT FEAR OF CONDEMNATION. For [His] PERFECT LOVE CASTS OUT FEAR!
It is God's Righteousness that Paul was exhorting us in 1 Cor. 15:34 when he says: "Awake to righteousness and sin not!"
Shalom!
Be exceedingly blessed,
Victor