Saturday, December 22, 2007 5:57 PM
posted by Aric Thorpe

What is God's motivation?

I think a philosophical question that many contend with is "what is God's motivation?" Many people, believe it or not, and in some crowds, more often than not, believe that God is really very mean and out to get them, that His persona is overly negative and judgmental. You know, it really is no wonder that people feel that way about God because demons and the devil himself roam the earth in the hearts of men and subtly spread that kind of propaganda. Satan from the beginning has attempted to distort man's image of God. In the garden, Satan said things like "has God said..." and "God's knows...that" (Genesis 3:5). He said things in representation about God that were false. In the gospels, Satan distorted God's image by obscuring the truth of the scriptures saying, "it is written..." (Matthew 4:6). Satan has been distorting God's person from the beginning.

What then is God's motivation? I'm glad that you asked; God's motivation is love. In fact, the Bible says in the book of I John that "God is love" (1 John 4:16). Jesus walked in love during his earthly ministry (I say earthly because He still has a ministry through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in the hearts of men and the Bible says that He makes intersession for us as well at the right hand of God the Father-Hebrews 7:25). In fact, everything that Jesus did was and is motivated by love, yes, even when He upbraided those that sold doves in the temple; it was for their good and for the good of those that heard. The scriptures declare repeatedly that Jesus was "moved with compassion" before He acted in a give situation. Here are a few of those scriptures:

Matthew 9:36 But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd.

Matthew 14:14 And Jesus went forth, and saw a great multitude, and was moved with compassion toward them, and he healed their sick.

Matthew 18:27 Then the lord of that servant was moved with compassion, and loosed him, and forgave him the debt.

Mark 1:41 And Jesus, moved with compassion, put forth his hand, and touched him, and saith unto him, I will; be thou clean.

Mark 6:34 And Jesus, when he came out, saw much people, and was moved with compassion toward them, because they were as sheep not having a shepherd: and he began to teach them many things.

In every situation, Jesus was moved with compassion towards people. He was "moved with," His "motivation" was... compassion. I suppose the most open and obvious display of the motivation of God through Jesus Christ, His Son, was His death on the cross. The Bible says that no greater love has a man than that he should lay down his life for his friends (John 15:13). The sacrifice that Jesus made on the cross was the most convincing proof of the motivation of God. In fact, even in the midst of being mocked and humiliated and after suffering intense torture on the cross, Jesus said, "Father forgive them for they do not know... what they do" (Luke 23:34 ). Through and through and to His last breath Jesus was loving man. God is love. That is his motivation. Believe in His love for you today.

You can ask Jesus Christ into your life right now. Just pray this simple prayer:

Jesus, I repent of my sins; I turn from them and ask you to come into my life. Jesus, I make you Lord upon the throne of my life right now. I believe in you, that you died for me and that God raised you up from the dead. Holy Spirit, enter me now. In Jesus name I pray, Amen.