Impure Motives

Impure Motives

Sapphira

Read: Acts 4:32-37; 5:1-2

My friend closed her car door and sat staring at the clinic, wondering if and when she would return. As a college student, she had welcomed God’s call to become a physician and help hurting people. Years passed as she maintained her busy career while also being a wife, mother, and church volunteer. One day during her quiet time, she realized that her main motivation had become the recognition and praise of other people. God was now calling her to relinquish her career until she could honor him rather than seek admiration.

Sapphira, the woman in today’s passage, did not examine her motives, and she paid dearly for it. The bond of love and unity in the early church led many wealthy believers to sell property and give the money to be distributed to the poor among them. Sapphira and her husband followed this example, but unfortunately, their motives were not pure. Although they sold some land out of desire to help the needy, the couple decided to keep part of the money for themselves. This would have been perfectly acceptable if they hadn’t pretended to donate the full amount to the church in order to be admired for their generosity.

Even when our actions seem honorable, our motives can dishonor God. Other people may not question our sincerity, but God sees deep into our hearts and knows what really motivates us. Are we doing volunteer work out of a desire to help others, or because it looks good? Did we pick up the check because we wanted to treat our friends, or because we wanted them to owe us? As long as we’re in our earthly bodies, we’ll struggle to maintain pure motives. With God’s help, we can learn to base our actions on our desire to love and honor him—the kind of actions that he can reward.

I, the LORD, search all hearts and examine secret motives. I give all people their due rewards, according to what their actions deserve.

Jeremiah 17:10