Good Morning Friends,
“It is true that some preach Christ out of envy
and rivalry, but others out of goodwill. The latter do so in love, knowing that
I am put here for the defense of the gospel. The former preach Christ out of
selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing that they can stir up trouble for me
while I am in chains. But what does it matter? The important thing is that in
every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. And because
of this I rejoice.” (Philippians 1:15-18)
Does it ever bother you to see preachers whose
motives seem to be less than pure? It does me. There are some who seem to have
an arrogance about them that makes it seem they preach only to exalt
themselves. There are others who seem to be greedy, whose basic motivation is
the pay they get for what they do. To add to the troubling aspect, some with seemingly
impure motives are very successful in what they do.
This passage also reminds me of many other
preachers I know whose attitudes and motives seem marvelous. I know those who
seem to be so unselfish and willing to sacrifice anything in order to keep
preaching. I know some who seem to have such deep love for those to whom they are
preaching and a commitment to them that is marvelous. However, these aren’t
always the most successful, in worldly terms, so that adds to the trouble for me.
I draw two conclusions from what Paul said
about the motives of those who preach: Their motives shouldn’t matter to me. I
can’t really know their motives, anyway. Besides, what should really cause me
to rejoice is not their motivation, but that people are hearing the Good News. Even
from the lips of those with impure motives, the Good News is still powerfully
effective!
What Paul says makes me look as honestly as I
can at my own motives. I want to be among those who do what I do for Christ
because I love Him and want to serve Him and love those I help and want to
serve them. How about an honest examination of your own motives?
His, by Grace,
Steve
No comments:
Post a Comment