Intentions

Matthew 6:6 But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.


God cares about our intentions. The world judges by results, but God cares about the "why" behind the "what." God measures the heart. He is the only one qualified to do so, because He is the only one who sees everything. He knows what is in my heart and WHY I do what I do.


The more I get to know God, the more I realize that my own heart is very tricky:


Jeremiah 17:9-10 “The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked; Who can know it? I, the Lord , search the heart, I test the mind, Even to give every man according to his ways, According to the fruit of his doings.


To get to know, and then conquer, my heart is THE biggest challenge in my life. The more light God shines on it, the more surprised I am to see what is hidden there. The Bible says there are really two kinds of sin: deliberate sin (making a choice to say no to God's way and going our own way.) And hidden sins in the heart...the stuff you don't see until more light shines on it.


Psalms 19:12-14 How can I know all the sins lurking in my heart? Cleanse me from these hidden faults. Keep your servant from deliberate sins! Don’t let them control me. Then I will be free of guilt and innocent of great sin. May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing to you, O Lord , my rock and my redeemer.


The hidden sins are uncovered in examining my motivations. Asking God to search me and then show me what He sees. WHY did I give the money, or pray the prayer? WHY was I willing to stand up and talk? WHO was I singing to, Jesus or the crowd? Was it loyalty to Jesus, or to build my reputation? Was it to be noticed here or there? This is what really matters.


Jesus said a ton of people would "do the stuff" in his name, but completely disconnected from Him:


Matthew 7:21-23 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’


Many people will believe they are helping Jesus with His mission to save the world, but miss the point that, from start to finish, His mission was THEM. Jesus IS going to get His way...guaranteed. He isn't biting His nails in heaven hoping it will all turn out right! He doesn't need anyone to help Him, but He desires everyone to partner with Him and let Him make their hearts brand new while accomplishing His plan. To the measure we agree with Him, is the measure we will be rewarded for our part, now, and later:


Matthew 6:1 “Watch out! Don’t do your good deeds publicly, to be admired by others, for you will lose the reward from your Father in heaven.


Matthew 6:7 “When you pray, don’t babble on and on as people of other religions do. They think their prayers are answered merely by repeating their words again and again.


Matthew 6:14-15 “If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins.


Matthew 6:16 “And when you fast, don’t make it obvious, as the hypocrites do, for they try to look miserable and disheveled so people will admire them for their fasting. I tell you the truth, that is the only reward they will ever get.


What Jesus taught was to "live for an audience of one." Jesus' opinion is the only one that matters. On one day, when I see Him face to face, His opinion will clearly be the only one that matters from that day forward. I don't want to be shocked on that day to learn that most of what I did was done to feed my own ego or build my own reputation. I only get one chance to love Him well before I see Him. Blessed are those who choose loyalty to Him BEFORE they see how smart it was to do so. This is faith:


John 20:29 Then Jesus told him, “You believe because you have seen me. Blessed are those who believe without seeing me.”


Many times we worry about how polished the performance is, but completely miss the desire of the one who the performance is for. Ask any parent: a poorly sung song that is sincerely delivered by a loving 3-year-old is way more heart moving than the finest stage performance for thousands. A kid sings right to the one they love with no regard for what anyone else thinks...Who are WE trying to impress?


Jesus is serious about this because having the wrong motivation causes all kinds of trouble for us, and wreaks havoc on those around us. If God is our only source and our complete reward for the effort, then no scheme of the enemy can affect our work. The enemy cannot manipulate God, and if our gaze is locked on God, then the enemy cannot manipulate us either. BUT, if we are looking around the room, wondering or worrying, or trying to manage, what everyone thinks of us, we are wide open to manipulation by satan. This is when relationships are destroyed, feelings hurt, and people get burned out and quit. When we worry about what people think we say what we normally wouldn't, and don't say what we should.


Jesus said locking my gaze on the light fills my whole being with light. To lock my gaze on the light means to lock my gaze on Jesus: listening for His direction, doing what He says, and then finding out what He thinks about my performance..abiding (remaining) in Him. This is the only way to really please Him. To scan the room down here, hoping more people will notice me, pay me, thank me, or recognize me...where darkness is plentiful...is to fill my soul with darkness. It is nearly impossible to move forward in the dark, tripping over everyone else groping for meaning and purpose:


Matthew 6:22-23 “Your eye is a lamp that provides light for your body. When your eye is good, your whole body is filled with light. But when your eye is bad, your whole body is filled with darkness. And if the light you think you have is actually darkness, how deep that darkness is!


This is what the man after God's own heart prayed:

Psalms 139:23 Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.