Monday, January 16, 2012

Temptations Because of Motivations

Look at Jesus' first temptation (Matthew 4:3-4). "If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread." What's wrong with Jesus telling the stones to become bread? Nothing. God provided water for the Israelites through a stone--why would providing Himself bread from stones be a problem. There was nothing inherently wrong with turning the stones into bread. The issue would be the motivation. Depending on what translation you read, Satan was either tempting Jesus to prove that He was God's Son or suggesting that Jesus use His power to meet His needs rather than relying on the Father's sovereignty. It was wrong to turn the stones to bread because of who was telling Him to do it.

Think about your job. There are lots of things that you could do in your job that are morally neutral. But despite that neutrality, how you approach those situations still matters. Take this account or don't take it? Say this to my supervisor or not? Accept a new position or don't accept it? In cases where there is not a clear answer, are you choosing one path for self-serving reasons or other-serving reasons? Remember, Joseph got promoted from prisoner to captain of the prison to second-in-command of the most powerful country in the world, so God is not against success at work. But Joseph pursued God through all of those promotions.

What decisions are you making at work? Could be big ones, could be small ones. It could be that all of the options in a decision are good options. The question then becomes one of motivation. Whose voice are you following? Are you pursuing self-serving motivations or other-serving motivations?

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