Are you doing it for you or for Him?

True and False Disciples

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.  Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’  Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’  Matthew 7:21-23 (NIV)

The more I think about it the more I wonder what my motives are.  Do I do things for my glory or Gods?  Do I do ‘to get’?  Do I do ‘to feel good’?  Or do I do out of the gratitude I have for my Heavenly Father?

The Parable of the Two Sons

“What do you think? There was a man who had two sons. He went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work today in the vineyard.’  “‘I will not,’ he answered, but later he changed his mind and went.  “Then the father went to the other son and said the same thing. He answered, ‘I will, sir,’ but he did not go.  “Which of the two did what his father wanted?”  “The first,” they answered.  Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you.  For John came to you to show you the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes did. And even after you saw this, you did not repent and believe him.  Matthew 21:28-32 (NIV)

In Matthew 21,above, Jesus is telling the “religious leaders” that the worst sinners could be in heaven prior to them.

As I talk with so many people I have come to realize this struggle between grace and self pride is a struggle that we all have.  We start following God and the struggle begins.  We start not wanting to let go and, I have found, we can’t unless we allow God to transform us from the inside out.

What my thought is that we are all sinners.  We all fall short.  Jesus came to save the world and not to condemn it.  So, do you accept Jesus?  Is your life not about you?  Are you willing to confess to Jesus that you are a sinner and He is the owner?  Are you willing to make your life a sacrifice for Jesus?  Are you a minister that needs to reset?  Are you a person that sins all the time and needs to reset?  Are you ‘you’ and need to reset?

If you are like me you want to be a servant of God but everyday you fall short.  Ask God to give you the ability to seek God’s Kingdom and not all the things you are seeking!