Jesus Christ is my God!
Issued 06.02.2000
Secret life
Man's inner life is a great secret. Our motives are hidden in the depth of our hearts. Is our motive fear, sense of duty or love? In the light of God's words our motives are revealed. Jesus Christ shows us also the motive of God, if we venture to come into the light. Will you get the faith from His faith and the motive from His motive?
Motives
What are the real motives of your words and your deeds? Necessary needs and adopted duties are our usual motives.
Pride can compel us to adopt duties, the motives of which seem generous self-sacrifice. Greed can make us order for ourselves duties, the motives of which seem industrious willingness to serve.
Our selfishness can make us fulfil duties, the motives of which seem love.
If you believe in God, what are your motives? What are your motives when you don't believe in God? Someone serves God, because he fears the judgement of God. Whereas another runs away from God for the same reason. Fear is being uncertain of what we hope. Faith is the opposite to fear, because faith is being sure of what we hope. Duties adopted through fears are the foundation of the religious world.
Experiencing God's love through the faith in Jesus is the foundation of the biblical Christianity. Received love gives a motive to do deeds of love. Unfortunately also this motive can be changed only to fulfilling one's duty. The motive of love lives only in voluntariness. However the love of God gives us power to fulfil also our duties with joy.
What are the real motives of your words and your deeds? Necessary needs and adopted duties are our usual motives.
Pride can compel us to adopt duties, the motives of which seem generous self-sacrifice. Greed can make us order for ourselves duties, the motives of which seem industrious willingness to serve.
Our selfishness can make us fulfil duties, the motives of which seem love.
If you believe in God, what are your motives? What are your motives when you don't believe in God? Someone serves God, because he fears the judgement of God. Whereas another runs away from God for the same reason. Fear is being uncertain of what we hope. Faith is the opposite to fear, because faith is being sure of what we hope. Duties adopted through fears are the foundation of the religious world.
Experiencing God's love through the faith in Jesus is the foundation of the biblical Christianity. Received love gives a motive to do deeds of love. Unfortunately also this motive can be changed only to fulfilling one's duty. The motive of love lives only in voluntariness. However the love of God gives us power to fulfil also our duties with joy.
Spiritual awakening means the revelation of motives
Sometimes we hear words or fall into a situation where our inner life is uncovered. The real motives of our deeds are revealed and we must receive shame or honour in the eyes of people. If we are ashamed of our secret life we are apt to pretend, so that we would not be uncovered. This is understandable self-protection. However it is better for us in good time to confront the truth in the light of God's words before pretending becomes so fixed a habit that we believe our own lies to be true, no matter what happens.
"For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of Him to whom we must give account." Heb.4:12-13 Maybe someone has not the ability to be ashamed of one's motives. Only when God is speaking to him he gets a prick in his heart. God's judgement against his wrong motives gashes his heart. In this case many fetch a spiritual plaster and harden their hearts so that the truth would not cause any pain.
For this kind of person who is wounded by God's word there is the real medicine reserved by God Himself. This is the medicine: Look at the motive of God, when He gave His one and only Son to be wounded on the cross for our sins. God put on Jesus the punishment that we deserve so that we could get mercy. If you don't understand His motive in this deed, you cannot experience His love.
When a sinner receives Jesus as the Redeemer of his own sins he experiences how the judgement of God's words in his heart is changed into the words which testify of God's grace and forgiveness to him. After this many believers can feel that now I have no reason to hide anything in my life. However it is a mistake.
Sometimes we hear words or fall into a situation where our inner life is uncovered. The real motives of our deeds are revealed and we must receive shame or honour in the eyes of people. If we are ashamed of our secret life we are apt to pretend, so that we would not be uncovered. This is understandable self-protection. However it is better for us in good time to confront the truth in the light of God's words before pretending becomes so fixed a habit that we believe our own lies to be true, no matter what happens.
"For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of Him to whom we must give account." Heb.4:12-13 Maybe someone has not the ability to be ashamed of one's motives. Only when God is speaking to him he gets a prick in his heart. God's judgement against his wrong motives gashes his heart. In this case many fetch a spiritual plaster and harden their hearts so that the truth would not cause any pain.
For this kind of person who is wounded by God's word there is the real medicine reserved by God Himself. This is the medicine: Look at the motive of God, when He gave His one and only Son to be wounded on the cross for our sins. God put on Jesus the punishment that we deserve so that we could get mercy. If you don't understand His motive in this deed, you cannot experience His love.
When a sinner receives Jesus as the Redeemer of his own sins he experiences how the judgement of God's words in his heart is changed into the words which testify of God's grace and forgiveness to him. After this many believers can feel that now I have no reason to hide anything in my life. However it is a mistake.
Good secrets
It is often thought that a secret life is always negative. Jesus shows us the secret life which is positive and good. He urges us to do good things in secrecy. These deeds we do not do for the reason to be saved, but therefore that we already are saved by grace through the faith in Jesus.
Nobel thoughts, right words and good deeds so that only God and I know about them! It is lovely and teaches us to know our own motives and helps us to notice also a little bit about the motives of others. It guards us against pretence and is a good deposit to the place, where thieves do not break in and steal and where moth and rust do not destroy.
"Be careful not to do your acts of righteousness before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven." Matth.6:1 Jesus gives us three examples of good secret life: giving donations, praying and fasting. He encourages us to do all these in secrecy and says: "Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you." He urges the children of God: "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth,... But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven,..." Matth.6:19-20
However He doesn't promise this kind of good secret life to produce something good only at our destination in heaven, but also a good effect at present. "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light." Matth.6:21-22 You will get healthy spiritual eyes, with which you can see what is genuine Christianity. The body of the real Church of Jesus is full of light.
It is often thought that a secret life is always negative. Jesus shows us the secret life which is positive and good. He urges us to do good things in secrecy. These deeds we do not do for the reason to be saved, but therefore that we already are saved by grace through the faith in Jesus.
Nobel thoughts, right words and good deeds so that only God and I know about them! It is lovely and teaches us to know our own motives and helps us to notice also a little bit about the motives of others. It guards us against pretence and is a good deposit to the place, where thieves do not break in and steal and where moth and rust do not destroy.
"Be careful not to do your acts of righteousness before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven." Matth.6:1 Jesus gives us three examples of good secret life: giving donations, praying and fasting. He encourages us to do all these in secrecy and says: "Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you." He urges the children of God: "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth,... But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven,..." Matth.6:19-20
However He doesn't promise this kind of good secret life to produce something good only at our destination in heaven, but also a good effect at present. "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light." Matth.6:21-22 You will get healthy spiritual eyes, with which you can see what is genuine Christianity. The body of the real Church of Jesus is full of light.
Acts of righteousness
Putting things in order must be started from thoughts. Be thankful in your thoughts to God about the salvation you got in Jesus. Don't get weary of sacrificing thanks to God in the thoughts of your heart. Public prayers can be dangerous, because in those it is so easily spoken more to men than God. "But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen." Matth.6:6
A public payer in a congregation has still a great meaning, because in it we together agree about what we will ask in our hearts. "I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven." Matth.18:19
The motive of a prayer is crucial in order to get something from God. "When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures." James. 4:3 The root of the right motive is just there that God is the initiator in our relationship with Him. "We love because He first loved us." 1John.4:19 To love God is the right motive. When we pray in secret, give donations so that the receiver doesn't know about us or we fast so that people don't see it, we test our own motives.
When you in your thoughts look at the love of God in Jesus, you can think, say or do something only for the reason that Jesus is good. Be quiet, don't tell anybody what you decided in your heart to do at that gracious moment. It doesn't need to be something great, but small and invisible, and good and right. Then you will do it, and only for Jesus.
Be aware of that the value of a deed doesn't depend on its outward greatness, but on the right motive. "If anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones because he is my disciple, I tell you the truth, he will certainly not lose his reward." Matth.10:42
Realize how valuable the right motive is in the eyes of God. On the other hand we can get a great impression of a deed that it is a great deed of love, but it actually is not, because the motive is wrong. "If I give all I possess to the poor..., but have not love, I gain nothing." 1Cor.13:3
At this point someone could say that it gained at least those poor people. That is right but here it is spoken about God's love, not only His goodness. We can do good to each other whatever are our motives and good deeds always have their intrinsic value.
More valuable than all goodness is to love God. Disciples were bothering the woman, who poured a lot of very valuable perfume on the head of Jesus, when He was at His last supper. Jesus saw the good motive of the woman and said: "The poor you will always have with you, but you will not always have me." Matth.26.7-8 That deed was not normal goodness, but it was genuine love to God.
Putting things in order must be started from thoughts. Be thankful in your thoughts to God about the salvation you got in Jesus. Don't get weary of sacrificing thanks to God in the thoughts of your heart. Public prayers can be dangerous, because in those it is so easily spoken more to men than God. "But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen." Matth.6:6
A public payer in a congregation has still a great meaning, because in it we together agree about what we will ask in our hearts. "I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven." Matth.18:19
The motive of a prayer is crucial in order to get something from God. "When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures." James. 4:3 The root of the right motive is just there that God is the initiator in our relationship with Him. "We love because He first loved us." 1John.4:19 To love God is the right motive. When we pray in secret, give donations so that the receiver doesn't know about us or we fast so that people don't see it, we test our own motives.
When you in your thoughts look at the love of God in Jesus, you can think, say or do something only for the reason that Jesus is good. Be quiet, don't tell anybody what you decided in your heart to do at that gracious moment. It doesn't need to be something great, but small and invisible, and good and right. Then you will do it, and only for Jesus.
Be aware of that the value of a deed doesn't depend on its outward greatness, but on the right motive. "If anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones because he is my disciple, I tell you the truth, he will certainly not lose his reward." Matth.10:42
Realize how valuable the right motive is in the eyes of God. On the other hand we can get a great impression of a deed that it is a great deed of love, but it actually is not, because the motive is wrong. "If I give all I possess to the poor..., but have not love, I gain nothing." 1Cor.13:3
At this point someone could say that it gained at least those poor people. That is right but here it is spoken about God's love, not only His goodness. We can do good to each other whatever are our motives and good deeds always have their intrinsic value.
More valuable than all goodness is to love God. Disciples were bothering the woman, who poured a lot of very valuable perfume on the head of Jesus, when He was at His last supper. Jesus saw the good motive of the woman and said: "The poor you will always have with you, but you will not always have me." Matth.26.7-8 That deed was not normal goodness, but it was genuine love to God.
Blessing of voluntariness
If you have received God's love personally you have a privilege to show your love to God. Don't adopt too many duties, so that there would be room for voluntariness in your life. Don't allow your church to load you with so many duties that you lose your heavenly reward.
Apostle Paul understood that in his case preaching the gospel was his duty. He said about it: "Yet when I preach the gospel, I cannot boast, for I am compelled to preach. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel! If I preach voluntarily, I have a reward; if not voluntarily, I am simply discharging the trust committed to me. What then is my reward? Just this: that in preaching the gospel I may offer it free of charge, and so not make use of my rights in preaching it." 1Cor.9.16-19 It is a duty of the church to pay a salary to its evangelist, but Paul freed the church from its duty to pay for him and he did it because he loved God.
Secret love life with God will be revealed when Jesus comes from the heaven and rewards the servants of God. "Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to everyone according to what he has done." Rev.22:12
If you have received God's love personally you have a privilege to show your love to God. Don't adopt too many duties, so that there would be room for voluntariness in your life. Don't allow your church to load you with so many duties that you lose your heavenly reward.
Apostle Paul understood that in his case preaching the gospel was his duty. He said about it: "Yet when I preach the gospel, I cannot boast, for I am compelled to preach. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel! If I preach voluntarily, I have a reward; if not voluntarily, I am simply discharging the trust committed to me. What then is my reward? Just this: that in preaching the gospel I may offer it free of charge, and so not make use of my rights in preaching it." 1Cor.9.16-19 It is a duty of the church to pay a salary to its evangelist, but Paul freed the church from its duty to pay for him and he did it because he loved God.
Secret love life with God will be revealed when Jesus comes from the heaven and rewards the servants of God. "Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to everyone according to what he has done." Rev.22:12
The Bible version used in references is NIV