Motives – Good deeds and Helping Others

Before you begin any good deed, carefully look at your motives! 

Many people think they are doing something good for someone when in truth, they are expecting something in return. For example, you buy a birthday present for a friend’s daughter just because you want to be nice. The friend’s daughter never sends you a thank you note or even a thank you email. You go on and on complaining to your husband about how unmannerly this young girl is behaving. My answer to you is – if you bought your friend’s daughter a gift with the expectation of receiving a thank you note back, then you shouldn’t have bought the gift in the first place! There was a motive present of being a “good person” or possibly you had a motive – unbeknownst to you – of being held in high regard by your friend. Motives are not always made aware to you unless first you stop to think about why you are doing whatever it is that you are doing. 

Become aware of your motives and whether they are good or bad. 

Great is the reward to those who help and give to others without thought of self. 

Helping and giving to others is not always easy. It takes time out of your busy day and it might require you to spend some funds out of your already tight budget. When you are put in a situation to help someone – it is the right thing to do even when it turns out that someone has used you for their own motives. Stick to the fact that YOU did the right thing. They will be punished for using you – it is not for you to judge. Allow God to handle the details. Just do the right thing and go on about your business. 

When you are helping and giving to others, make sure you are doing it simply because you want to help. There should be no motives on your part and no expectations of anything in return! 

Today, think about someone in your life that might need your assistance.