GOD IS MINDFUL OF OUR MOTIVE IN FELLOWSHIP!

 

EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

TUESDAY OCTOBER 13, 2020.

SUBJECT: GOD IS MINDFUL OF OUR MOTIVE IN FELLOWSHIP!

Memory verse: “Jesus answered them and said, “Most assuredly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw  the signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled.” (John 6 vs 26.)

READ: John 6 vs 22 - 26:

6:22: The day following, when the people which stood on the other side of the sea saw that there was none other boat there, save that one whereinto his disciples were entered, and that Jesus went not with his disciples into the boat, but that his disciples were gone away alone;
6:23: (Howbeit there came other boats from Tiberias nigh unto the place where they did eat bread, after that the Lord had given thanks:)
6:24: When the people therefore saw that Jesus was not there, neither his disciples, they also took shipping, and came to Capernaum, seeking for Jesus.
6:25: And when they had found him on the other side of the sea, they said unto him, Rabbi, when camest thou hither?

6:26: Jesus answered them and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Ye seek me, not because ye saw the miracles, but because ye did eat of the loaves, and were filled.

INTIMATION:

Our motives of fellowship with the Lord matters a lot in our getting plugged into the power source—receiving the grace of God (the unmerited favor; the power of the Holy Spirit) that enables us meet our needs. Our motive in fellowship must be right to enable us receive His grace. The right motive is to worship Him for who He is, our love for Him, and our desire to be in His presence. If you engage in spiritual exercises, that is, you spend time reading the Bible, praying, meditating, making positive confession etc, in an effort to get something from the Lord, instead of worshipping Him for who He is, your love for Him, then your fellowship with Him becomes work, we want to get by our works rather than by the grace of God.  

The devil wants us to think that we can buy the grace of God. God's grace is not for sale, even by its definition—unmerited favor—it is a gift. Grace cannot be bought by prayer, good works, Bible reading or offerings. It cannot be bought by memorizing or confessing Scriptures. It cannot even be bought by faith. The grace of God is receivable, not buyable. And it is only received in our fellowship with the Lord. Anytime we get to thinking that we deserve something because we are doing something for God, whatever it may be, even spending time with Him, we are following a method rather than the Spirit. Even though we might receive our petition, it is all by His grace.

Wrong motives in fellowship is the major reason for many unanswered prayers amongst Christians. We must be careful about our motives. And even when we operate by all right methods; and our motives are pure, let us not fall into the trap of thinking that we deserve anything good from the Lord by our works. It is all by His grace. But for God’s own initiative to sacrifice His Son for us, we don't deserve anything except to die and spend eternity in everlasting punishment because we have all sinned and come short of His glory. Consequently, all of our righteousness is like filthy rags before Him. (Isaiah 64 vs 6.)

In the passage we read today, Jesus criticized the people who followed Him only for the physical and temporal benefits and not for the satisfying of their spiritual hunger. Many people use religion to gain prestige, comfort, or even political votes. But those are self-centered motives. True believers follow Jesus simply because they know He has the truth and His way is the way to live. Following Christ is not enough, we must follow Him for the right reasons. To follow Christ for our own purposes would be asking Christ to follow us—to align with us to support and advance our cause, not His. We must examine our motives for following Him. Are you seeking His glory or yours? 

In the parable of the sower in Mark's Gospel, Jesus likens the Kingdom of God to a farmer who sows his seed in his field and then goes to sleep, and rises night and day and the seed springs forth and grows up, ....he knows not how (Mark 4 vs 27). You see, we don't understand what happens once the seed is placed in the ground. Yes we are to plant our seed: Prayer is a seed, Bible study is a seed, Preparation for spiritual exercise is a seed. Meditation is a seed. A good confession is a seed. An offering is a seed. Church attendance is a seed. Good work is a seed. Time spent with Lord is a seed, and so on. Sow the seed, and allow God to the the work. He does the work, not us, hence our not receiving God's favor by our works but by His grace through faith.

To fully understand and appreciate this fact, we need to look upon our righteousness as compared with the righteousness of Almighty God. If we will do that, instead of comparing our righteousness with the unrighteousness of others, then we will see ourselves as we really are. This enables thoroughly appreciate God’s unparalleled love for us and all He wrought in Christ Jesus for us. Therefore, we should not feel bad about ourselves, not looking at our own works or efforts, but rather rejoice in the Lord, and glory in Him (Isaiah 41 vs 16). We must get beyond ourselves and our works and efforts and keep our eyes focused on God and His grace toward us. 

Prayer: Abba Father, I worship You with my whole heart for who You are; the Holy Sovereign God, Creator of heaven and the earth, and all things seen and unseen. You own all things, for the heavens, the earth and its fullness are all Yours. By Your Word You made all things and by Your power You sustain them. What am I that You are mindful of me, Oh Most High, and showered Your unparalleled love upon my life? Forever my guess is fixed on You, and nothing will take away, in Jesus’ matchless Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!