Daily Devotion

“It is not what a man does that determines whether his work is sacred or secular, it is why he does it. The motive is everything. Let a man sanctify the Lord God in his heart and he can thereafter do no common act. All he does is good and acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.”

A.W. Tozer · The Pursuit of God, ch. 10 "The Sacrament of Living"

Scripture

1 Corinthians 4:5 (Contemporary Chinese Version) Therefore, do not make hasty judgments before the time has come. When the Lord Jesus returns, He will expose the hidden truths and reveal the motives in people's hearts. At that time, God will give each person the praise they deserve.

Reflection

We are often busy calculating the effectiveness of our work, the scale of our service, or the evaluations we receive from others, easily overlooking the "motives" hidden in the shadows, which only God can see. Tozer's words, "The motive is everything," align with Paul's teaching: when the Lord comes He will disclose the purposes of the heart, weighing not only "what was done," but also "why it was done." This gives us a double reminder: on the one hand, we must be careful to examine ourselves and avoid falling into the traps of vanity and self-righteousness, because outward piety cannot conceal inner motives; on the other hand, it is also a great comfort—even if our efforts are not understood or seen by the world, as long as the motive is out of love for God, the Lord who sees in the darkness will surely praise us in eternity.