Good Morning! I'm your host Lonnie Wibberding, and you are listening to God Notes. A daily devotional podcast sent out from sunny Southern California.
Today is Sunday, January 14, 2023.
Motive matters. If I get my wife flowers because I want to express to her how much I love and care for her, that is fun, and something I will enjoy doing, and rejoice in seeing her reaction to my act of love. But if I am mad at her, but it's our anniversary, so I feel obligated to get her flowers. Afraid if I don't I will hear about it the rest of the month, that's not so much fun.
It's the same act either way. I am going to buy her flowers and give them to her. It could be the exact same flowers. But one act brings me joy, and the other may even make me feel resentful.
Our text today talks about motive.
1 Peter 2:1-3 says:
"Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind. Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.q
"Now that you have tasted that the Lord is good"
If you know God is good. And you know anything that He instructs you to do is for your good, following His instructions is joyful and exciting and a pleasure to do, even if it is hard sometimes.
But if you feel obligated. Something you have to do to please God, then that's not so fun.
Because motive matters.
God is good. He wants what's best for you. And knowing that is the key to a happy religion.
May God Bless your day. We'll talk again tomorrow.