Everyone has motivations for what they do, but the motivations in a person’s heart may not always match what they say. For instance take this scenario:
Scenario 1 – After class, a single guy approaches a female student and says “Hey I thought that was really interesting what you shared in class today, could we grab lunch to talk about it some more?”
What is his stated motivation for lunch? He said it was to talk about what she shared. What could be his real motivation for lunch? It could be that he is interested in her! The guys stated motivation and real motivation may not match.
So often what people state as their motivation, is not their real motivation. Sometimes this mis-match is harmless. But at other times it can be quite painful, leading us to not trust the person who deceived us.
Let’s look at another scenario:
Scenario 2 – “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” – John 3:16 (NIV)
What is God’s stated motivation for sending his son Jesus? John tells us it’s His love for the world. What is God’s real motivation? Hopefully it’s the same! But… how can we know if God’s real motivation and stated motivation match?
The Apostle Paul tells is how we can know! He wrote: “But God proves His own love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us!” – Romans 5:8 (HCSB)
God proved His love, by sending Jesus to die on the cross for you! He confirmed His real motivation was love, by showing His love in a real physical way.
If you ever wonder if God really loves you… look no further then Christ dying on the cross for you. If you ever question God’s motives in your life… look no further than Christ dying on the cross for you.
You may question the motives of everyone else in your life, but you don’t ever need to question God’s motives. He proved He loves you! He is someone you can trust!