In Luke 6:38 our Lord encourages us to show love by giving generously to others. He says, “Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” The more generous we are with others; the more generous God is with us.
Giving is at the heart of love. At least it is for God. In John 3:16 we read, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” God’s love is never merely a feeling. It is something that motives him to give to others in order to meet their needs.
Of course the ultimate expression of God’s love for us is seen in the death of his Son on the cross. I like the way the older NIV translations of John 13:1 read. Right before going to the cross, it is said of Jesus, “Having loved his own who were in the world, he now showed them the full extent of his love.” How? By dying for them!
Often when it comes to serving the Lord or giving to him, we discover that our motives are impure. We think, “Why am I really giving this gift? What’s my motive for helping clean the church this week? What’s the real reason behind my church attendance?”
Often this is simply Satan seeking to distract us and keep us from doing the right thing. When Satan accuses you of having impure motives, I’d suggest you simply talk back to him. Just say, “Yes, I realize my motives are not pure. They probably never will be. But I’m going to give this gift anyway. God can overcome my poor motives, and use this money to help others.”
Don’t fall for Satan’s old tricks. He will always accuse you of something when it comes to serving the Lord. Don’t fall prey to his suggestions. Just serve the Lord anyway.
Waiting around for perfectly pure motives is one way to guarantee that you’ll never do anything in the kingdom of God.
So give – serve – love . . . . generously! And with time, God will slowly purify your motives.