God is concerned with why you do what you do

I have been preaching through Matthew 6 recently and have been reminded that Jesus isn't simply concerned with what good thing we are doing. He demands that we do it with the right motive.

For instance, in Matthew 6:1-4 we read about sharing our wealth with those in need. Yet, not one time does Jesus tell us to give to those in need. He assumes that we are going to give. The entire text is focused on the motive we have for giving. Jesus tells us not to give to impress others but to give secretly so that God sees and will reward.

Jesus does the same thing when He speaks about praying (Matthew 6:5-6) and fasting (Matthew 6:16-18). He assumes that His disciples are going to engage in correct activity. So, He spends His time telling us to be absolutely certain that we are doing it with right motives.

Pastor, it is so important that you are properly motivated as you carry out your tasks of caring for those God has put under your charge. If you do ministry but for the wrong reasons, God is not pleased and your congregation will suffer.

I have recently been reading a very insightful book by Steven K. Scott. In it he elaborates on the 9 basic motivating forces within us. He begins with the 3 most inferior, then 2 that only work in the short-term and then the 4 that are the highest of motivations. Let me spend some time elaborating on them for you and applying them to a pastoral context.

1. Personal Gratification

• This when we do what we do because it makes us feel good.
• If this is your primary motivation, it will dissipate as soon as you experience turbulent waters. And any pastor who has been in ministry for more than a week knows that it can get tough fairly often and quickly.

2. Money and material possessions

• This is where we do what we do because we get paid for it.
• If this is your primary motivation, you won't go the extra mile for your congregation unless you think you will be compensated for it. You'll get upset when you don't get the raise you wanted / needed. You won't lovingly confront a member in sin because they may be a big tither. When the going gets tough, you'll think "They don't pay me enough for this" and look for another church to pastor.
• If you would leave the ministry if you could financially swing it you need to spend some time confessing this to God.

3. The approval or "applause" of others

• This is where we do what we do because others affirm us.
• If this is your primary motivation, you will struggle to stay motivated when no one seems to notice or care about you or what you're doing. You will also be very leery of doing anything "negative" such as confronting someone in sin or phasing out a ministry that died many years earlier because you certainly won't be applauded for doing such things. In fact, it may guarantee that you get no applause for a long time.

4. Fear of failure, fear of criticism, fear of consequences, fear of loss

• This is where we do what we do because we are afraid of others or circumstances.
• If this is your primary motivation, you will be much less proactive and much more reactive. Because of your fear of people and circumstances, you will rarely venture out on an adventure (step of faith). You'll play it safe. And you will spend most of your time thinking about fallout than about possibilities. Further, you will eventually develop anxiety problems, resentment, burnout and maybe some phobias.

5. Our survival instinct

• This is where we do what we do because our life or ministry or family or something else extremely valuable to us is on the line.
• If this is your primary motivation, you'll see every situation as a crisis. It's do or die. (If you see things this way, it's probably because you've been through some really traumatic situations in your life but never emotionally recovered from it/them.) You will develop problems with stress disorders and may work yourself toward heart disease. Most certainly, you won't be in the ministry for long ... or you'll drag your church down with you.

6. Personal achievement

• This is where we do what we do because God has enabled us to experience a degree of success and we find it fairly easy to keep the momentum going ... because it's so internally rewarding.
• If this is your primary motivation, you'll move from one goal to another. You'll enjoy forward motion and the internal reward that comes with crossing yet another finish line and accomplishing the task at hand. As long as the tasks are God-honoring, they bless the people you serve and are a result of your time in prayer, this is a great motivation.

7. Love

• This is where we do what we do because we deeply care for others and see our greatest privilege as serving them and even sacrificing for them.
• If this is your primary motivation, you are living out the 2nd Greatest Commandment. In fact, you're living out 1 Corinthians 13 and so many other commands in Scripture. Ultimately, we are called to love our neighbor and give of ourselves to them. When our hearts dearly care for those in our congregation and community and we allow their best interests to motivate us, we will be free to experience God's affirmation upon us and our ministry.

8. Family

• This is where we do what we do because of our love and sense of deep responsibility to those who share our last name.
• If this is your primary motivation, you will not make the mistake so often made by pastors - they put so much of their attention on the success of their ministry that they fail at home. While there is certainly room for give-and-take, if you are motivated to love and provide for, to lead and protect your family, you will be a pastor who is much more emotionally healthy and better balanced than many pastors I have known.

9. Connection to God

• This is where we do what we do because we have discovered the true joy found in fellowship with God and we long to serve Him out of gratitude and affection.
• If this is your primary motivation, you are complying with the 1st and Greatest Commandment - to love the Lord your God with all of you heart, soul, mind and strength. If we are ministering out of the overflow of a heart that loves and enjoys our God, we will discover that nothing can stop us. We will not crave man's applause because we hear the Lord's. We won't shy away from difficult situations because we know that our God is walking through them with us. We will remain faithful to the Lord and the task He has assigned us in what we live, believe and teach because He has captured our heart.

So, go back through the list and ask yourself: "Which one most closely represents why I do ministry?" This may be a very insightful exercise that enables you to reorient yourself to a more God-honoring, people-serving motivation.

... because God isn't just concerned with what you do. He is looking at your heart to see why you do it.