Kingdom Living Series

May 21 Pure Motives (Matthew 6:1-4)

Stop… Slow down and process your thoughts:

• How do you feel about individuals who show up to show off their gifts and talents?

• Would you enjoy receiving an award for something you did? (MVP, honors cords, etc.)

• How is performing or accomplishing something differ from giving to someone?

Think… Read Matthew 6:1-4 and think about this:

• “Wrong motives produce an empty life and a ministry that is not sustainable. Pure motives sustain our passion for God and thus sustain our work for Him – even during the dry, discouraging, or seemingly fruitless seasons of ministry.” – Paul Chappell How important are our motives? How can we keep our motives in check?

• “Every man’s way is right in his own eyes, But the Lord weighs the hearts.” Proverbs 21:2 Are we a good judge of our own motives? How about the motives of others around us? (1 Corinthians 3:13; 4:5) Who is the only true judge of the motives of our hearts?

• “Examine me, O Lord, and try me; Test my mind and my heart” Psalm 26:2 How does what we think and believe affect our motives? Should part of our self-examination process be allowing God to reveal to us where our thinking and our beliefs are not aligned with a pure heart and mind? Will a pure heart and mind produce the right motives?

Observe… Let’s explore Matthew 6:1-4 to see what it says:

• “Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.” Matthew 6:1 The word “practice” here means to do or make on some one’s behalf. And the word “righteousness” means the righteousness of which God is the source or author. Is it wrong to use the gifts God has given you to perform an action to place yourself in the spotlight? What kind of reward or outcome can you expect if you do this?

• “So, when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full.” Matthew 6:2 How do some make a spectacle of their gifts to those in need? Why would some trade their reward in heaven for a reward now?

• “But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.” Matthew 6:3-4 What does “not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing,” mean for us today? How does planning to give differ from being prompted by God to give? Could the rewards be different? (Depends on motives…)

Pray… Ask God to guide you into the path He has for you:

• Finish this prayer: Lord Jesus, exam and reveal my motives to serve you and others!

• Pray this prayer of confession to God: “Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.” Psalm 51:11

Plan… Write down your plan to apply this study today and this week:

• Today I am committing to Kingdom Living by…

• My reading plan for this week: Matthew 6:1-4