A recent article in Christianity Today posed this question: Does motive matter if a ministry is doing good deeds? And you might expect there was a range of response from Daniel Akin's (Pres. of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary) "yes" to John Schmalzbauer's (Prof. at Missouri State U.) "no."
Perhaps it just depends on what ministry is trying to accomplish. If you are trying to show the love of God by whacking someone over the head, that's probably a bad idea all around. If you save someone from an on-coming train, why you did it may not matter at all.
But what if that is the wrong question? God can work even through us even with our motives good and bad. And after all, aren't our motives mixed most of the time anyway? What if the question was: In whatever we do, are we letting God's will be done? But that can also lead us down a thorny path of theological intrigue.
Perhaps the best we can do is love God with all our hearts, souls, minds, and strength; be in a grace-infused community of believers--hopefully that is a church; and trust God for the rest.
Have a wonderful weekend.
Grace, Kathy
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