It is common for us to ask ourselves why we are doing one thing or another, but it can be a confusing matrix of shoulds and shouldn’ts, oughts and ought nots. In Galatians 2:6-10, the Apostle Paul makes is very clear that he was completely unmotivated by people’s expectations or their status.
While he was submissive and in harmony with the direction given to him by godly advisors (James, Peter and John in this case), his motives sprung from personal and internal conviction: “All they asked was that we should remember the poor, the very thing I was eager to do.” (v. 10) Their desires resonated completely with his own.
Finding our own calls of conscience and internal motivations is a great heart-check that will keep us freely and eagerly doing good instead of feeling compelled by the desires of others.
Psalm 27:4 is a beautiful pledge of a singleminded desire for a relationship with God: “One thing I ask of the Lord, this is what I seek: That I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life….”
It can prompt the question, “if I had only one request to put before God what would it be?” David”s request here seems to trump every other desire, because anything else is temporary and far lower in value. Still,in our daily lives the world competes for this heavenly longing by offering us all kinds of tempting and temporary enticements. Focusing on the eternal and the treasure of a relationship with God eases any other loss, any other unfulfilled dream. The gift of being with God forever is supreme, and if no other dream comes true or earthly comfort is attained, a relationship with God is cause for unspeakable joy everyday!
Linda Brumley is the author of the book My Beggar’s Purse and Other Spiritual Thoughts, and a blog of the same name. This article was originally published as two blog entries at http://mybeggarspurse.blogspot.com/
Linda Brumley, along with her husband, Ron, has served in the ministry in San Diego, Chicago, Denver and Seattle. She is currently a women’s ministry leader in the Seattle Church of Christ. Her greatest joy in life is friends and family (four children and ten grandchildren). Because she feels so blessed to have learned from older women in her life, she hopes to offer that same blessing to young women that God enables her to influence for him.
