Motives

motive

/ˈməʊtɪv/

noun

a reason for doing something.”police were unable to establish a motive for his murder”

something (as a need or desire) that causes a person to act.

something that moves a person; an inducement, something that leads a person on; an incentive, something that inspires a person.

Synonyms: reason, motivation

A persons speech, actions and choices are mainly guided by their motive. There is always a propellant that induces what we decide to do and the choices we make. A good motive will always stir up good actions. A wrong motive however will always end in evil even when the action taken seems like the right thing to do. If the motive is wrong, the thing you do is also wrong/ evil.

A persons motive can be induced or influenced by many things. There are specific reasons backing the actions that we take and the choices that we make. Here are nine motives that influence most people:

• Love
• Jealousy
• Money
• Competition
• Power
• Fear
• Hatred
• Spite
• Tribalism

Love is a universal motive used by many people. Scripture tells us in John 3:16 that God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son. It was love that caused God to make the greatest sacrifice for us to be here today. Let love be the motive for all the things you do because it will definitely cause you to do the right things. Whatever is within the heart of a thing will come out eventually. The various tests of life will cause your motives to be tried over and over again.

“Set me as a seal upon thine heart, As a seal upon thine arm: For love is strong as death; Jealousy is cruel as the grave: The coals thereof are coals of fire, Which hath a most vehement flame. Many waters cannot quench love, Neither can the floods drown it: If a man would give all the substance of his house for love, It would utterly be contemned.” Song of Solomon 8:7 KJV

Love is not just a positive but very intense motive that should not be underestimated. The above scripture likens the strength of love to death. Many waters cannot quench it neither can a flood drown it. A pure motive of love can never be hidden because it will always stand the test of time.

Jealousy as a motive for doing things is ungodly. The same scripture above also says jealousy is as cruel as the grave. The grave symbolizes death. How then can any action taken based on jealousy yield good things. Doing things on the basis of jealousy will only veer you off the original path of your destiny. Being hung up on someone’s progress as an influence to what you do in life is a recipe for distraction from your God-given purpose.

When a persons motive is money, what matters most to them is the end goal; to accumulate money. Whatever means they will have to employ to acquire that money is merely circumstantial damage caused. Bottom line is that the money must be made. Money as a motive will cause you to go any length just to achieve your set goals. No matter how you camouflage your actions, your true motive invalidates your deeds.

“For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.” 1 Timothy 6:10 KJV

Competition is the desire to outdo another person. This is a clear characteristic of childish Christians or human beings in general. This is not a motive that will help you because in your quest to compete, you will be running a race that will be too expensive to finish. You may be trying to impress people when you should not even be concerned with what they think.

Power as a motive is the quest to posses a certain authority and influence over others. The end goal is to fuel a persons ego and its root is from pride. Don’t lord it over people if you are a leader. If you are a husband you don’t get power to lord it over your wife because wives also have the ability to resist. Through their resistance your marriage may break.

“Do not try to rule over those who have been put in your care, but be examples to the flock.” 1 Peter 5:3 GNT

Fear as a motive for doing things can wreak more havoc than good. Back during our school days, the fear of deadlines was mostly the motivation to get assignments done or prepare for tests. You end up straining yourself I. The final hours when you could have enjoyed the journey to acquiring the requisite knowledge in a more relaxed manner. Fear must not be a motivation or something that leads you because fear in itself is a demonic spirit.

“For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” 2 Timothy 1:7 KJV

Hatred is a dangerous motivating factor. The cardinal or classic sign of hatred is murder. “Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him.” (1 John 3:15 KJV). When you desire to kill somebody or you want them to die by some means then you have hatred in your heart. Where hatred is, there is always a lot of trouble. The killing of people generates a spirit of revenge because even after a long span of time you discover that the hatred is still there.

“Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord. Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head. Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.” Romans 12:19-21 KJV

To spite a person is is a deliberate desire to annoy, offend or ultimately hurt them. God always wants us to do things out of love and not to hurt somebody else. Many people do things just to ‘show’ someone else and not necessarily for good. Most of the time we either just want to prove a point or we might not even know why we’re doing those things. Spite is a toxic trait that needs to absolutely be avoided.

“Some indeed preach Christ even of envy and strife; and some also of good will: the one preach Christ of contention, not sincerely, supposing to add affliction to my bonds: but the other of love, knowing that I am set for the defence of the gospel.” Philippians 1:15-17 KJV

Tribalism is a touchy subject but must be addressed.

“After all this took place, King Ahasuerus honored Haman, son of Hammedatha the Agagite. He promoted him in rank and gave him a higher position than all the other officials. The entire royal staff at the King’s Gate bowed down and paid homage to Haman, because the king had commanded this to be done for him. But Mordecai would not bow down or pay homage. The members of the royal staff at the King’s Gate asked Mordecai, “Why are you disobeying the king’s command? ” When they had warned him day after day and he still would not listen to them, they told Haman to see if Mordecai’s actions would be tolerated, since he had told them he was a Jew. When Haman saw that Mordecai was not bowing down or paying him homage, he was filled with rage. And when he learned of Mordecai’s ethnic identity, Haman decided not to do away with Mordecai alone. He planned to destroy all of Mordecai’s people, the Jews, throughout Ahasuerus’s kingdom. Esther 3:1-6 HCSB

Haman was a racist, tribalistic. He sought to harm Mordecai and his people solely because of his different ethnic identity. We all know how that story ended though. As Christians we need to be objective and spirit led in all that we do. Do not discard someone you would want to marry simply based on where they come from. Don’t form your own opinion about people without getting to know them for yourself. In certain places black Christians hate white Christians and white Christians also hate black Christians. Let those negative ideologies be removed from your mind so that you can be filled with the right motive. People may say all sorts of things but remember that faith comes by hearing. With time you will wound up believing what you have been hearing even if it’s not the truth.

“Search me, O God, and know my heart: Try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, And lead me in the way everlasting.” Psalm 139:23-24 KJV

When we have the right heart the God can bless us. Let your heart be filled with love so that your motive with be love. It is the heart that God looks at and not the outward appearance. Lord let my heart be pure. Let me do all I do because of love and not for other motives.

You may progress, excel or be successful when you rely on other motives in the things you do. All other motives will crumble with time but God will bless you when your motive is right. Remember also that the blessings of the Lord makes rich and adds no sorrow with it. God bless us as we do all things in love.

With love, Esinam.