motivations

Who is wise and understanding among you? Let them show it by their good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. Such “wisdom” does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice.  But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness."
James 3:13‭-‬18
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magine if Neo from the Matrix couldn't dodge bullets. Even if you haven't seen the movie, we have all seen the iconic scene of a black trench coat and cool  sunglasses wearing dude duping and weaving through dozens of lethal rounds of gunfire. Neo had this power because he had a higher grasp of reality, he could perceive the limitations of the world around him and overcome those barriers making him godlike. Neo was just a normal guy, he had to transform his thinking to not be pierced by the deadly bullets of the enemy.

This section of scripture calls us to gauge how well our perception of reality is characterized by God's perspective rather than man's. Selfishness and envy seem to be man's baseline that God is calling us out of. Selfish manipulative people like you and me become selfish manipulative Christians. If we don't let God's wisdom change our motivations, we remain the same train wreck we have been just blaring down new terrain.

God wont change what you don't give him. Our honest view of ourselves, others, and God form our motivations. If your life is full of disorder and every evil practice, maybe you need to stop treating the symptoms and treat the disease. Does your heart need a stronger dose of God's wisdom? Tackling each sin by itself is impossible. It's time we have a higher view of God and others, and see ourselves with sober judgement (Romans 12:3).

When we have God's wisdom, we gain the power to dodge bullets too. We see past our own motivations that may be crooked, we rise above our limiting views of our self, God, and others and we start behaving like new creations instead of pigs dressed in pearls.

Ask God to reveal your motivations.

What problem am I facing in my life where I am ultimately a victim of my own decisions?

Where have I used my faith improperly to justify my ugly motivations?

What potential does God see in me that I need to invite God to help me grow in? Pray through this list that characterizes God's wisdom:

"But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.

What bullets do you think you can dodge if your motivations are more Godlike?

Written by- Aleksandr Trbovich