“Man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart” 1 Samuel 16:7.
What matters more, your actions or the heart behind those actions? Is it really the thought that counts? Sometimes, the action counts for a great deal, does it not? Can the father who never spends time with his children defend his absence by saying “you were always on my mind”? No. Actions matter as much as thoughts. But thoughts and motives do matter.
Jesus spoke often of motives:
“Examine your motives to make sure you are not showing off when you do your good deeds, only to be admired by others; otherwise, you will lose the reward of your heavenly Father” Matthew 6:1 the Passion Translation.
Likewise, Jesus’s half-brother James writes, “you ask [pray] and do not receive, because you ask with the wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures” James 4:3.
The Old Testament speaks of motives too.
Following the Babylonian captivity, some of the people came to Zechariah to ask whether they could stop fasting for Jerusalem, now that the city was being rebuilt. God came to the prophet with an answer that pointed out a flaw in their reasoning:
“When ye fasted and mourned in the fifth and seventh month, even those seventy years, did ye at all fast unto me, even to ME? And when ye did eat, and when ye did drink, did not ye eat for yourselves, and drink for yourselves?” Zechariah 7:5-6.
I imagine the answer from the people would be something like, “But hey, we fasted didn’t we? I mean, we gave up eating? What more do you want?” People would assume that if they are missing meals, then they are following the fasting rules. Such a fast sounds like a good, legitimate fast. So what is the problem?
The problem is the state of their hearts. Fasting is described as “afflicting ourselves,” Ezra 8:21. If you are not taking on a humble, worshipful heart, you are only fasting on the outside and your heart is not in it.
The indictment continued:
“Execute true judgment and show mercy and compassion every man to his brother, and oppress not the widow, nor the fatherless, the stranger, nor the poor. Let none of you imagine evil against his brother in your heart” Zechariah 7:9-10.
(Doesn’t that sound reminiscent of the words of Jesus some 500 years later? “Whoever looks on a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart?” Matthew 5:28.)
So are motives more important than actions? No. God simply addresses motives because His people so often manage to obey “on the outside” while having disobedient hearts. As Jesus told the hypocrites, their act of obsessive tithing was good, but they were neglecting matters of the heart, such as justice, mercy, and faith:
“These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone” Matthew 23:23.
In other words, God is interested in our actions AND our motives.
I think of singing in church. How easy is it to sing every note perfectly while your mind wanders, completely un-worshipful? I am guilty of that. I get caught up thinking about harmony parts and can miss the worship. And of course, that is missing the whole point. Worship should be all about the heart.
Sing well. But sing to God.
Fast well. But fast with a heart of worship.
Serve and help people with justice and mercy—and do it “as unto God rather than men” Colossians 3:23.
Dear God, teach us to serve You well, to work hard like Martha. And remind us to have our hearts in the right place and worship well, like her sister Mary. May we serve You with our outward actions while also honoring You with worshipful, humble hearts.
AΩ.
Pictured: “Manhattanhenge” the twice-yearly occurrence when the sun sets between the buildings of Manhattan.
Household Words: 