Thursday, October 28, 2010
Motives and Self-deceit, Part 1
In one of my classes recently, we have been talking about our motives for doing good things. I wondered if my motives were true and right, so I prayed that the Holy Spirit would show me my real motives whenever I do something. I then started seeing my prideful spirit all over the place: "That girl dropped her books. Let me pick them up so she will think well of me.... and to be a good testimony of Christ." This is just one example, but there were many more. And then I wondered if it was possible to change my motives, because I tried but it wasn't working. Then the most puzzling question of all came up: If I do something for someone because I know it's right and I want them to have a good opinion of me, does that thing then become wrong for me because I'm not doing it for the right reasons? Does anyone have any answers to this? (By the way, the "self-deceit" part of the title has to do with the fact that I unconsciously deceived myself into thinking that my motives were pure and godly.)
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"The last temptation is the greatest treason: To do the right deed for the wrong reasons." -T.S Eliot
ReplyDeleteI to have the same prob Anne-Marie. I would recommend you just keep being nice & doing good things & than pray that God will help you do it for the right reasons.
ReplyDeleteAnd if you find yourself thinking about why you're doing it (i.e. I'm doing it so she'll think I'm nice.) try to correct yourself. (i.e. No, I am doing this because Jesus wants me to & I am trying to please him!).
I've found that if you do right often enough, it becomes a habit and then you act like Jesus without even thinking...when you're not in the flesh. ;) Keep thinking like this!
ReplyDeleteThanks, everyone! Your advice and input has been very helpful to me and I am actually finding that I am starting to do things for Christ more now! ( not everything, not even most things, but I'm heading in the right direction).
ReplyDeleteLooking at the above comment, I felt like I sounded like a cheesy rehab success story. :D
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