What does the Bible say about motivation?

All the value of an action is in the motive. Fruit will be manifested; but it is not so much what a man does, as his motive for doing it. Even in nature, two men may do the same thing from very different motives; the motive of the one being himself and his own pleasure, will be evil; while the other, being the good father of a family, and doing it for their good, his motive will be good; it is in the motive of our ordinary actions that we have to be continually judging ourselves, that we be not judged of the Lord. The saint, in judging himself, must be grieved when he sees so many other things come in and mix up with that which he presents to God; self comes in, and like the dead flies, spoils the savour of the ointment. It may not be seen by others, but our own hearts before God know how very much of self comes in, making the ointment send forth a bad savour, yet we know God graciously and lovingly accepts all our service through Christ, being a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. The great principle laid down in chapter 3 is that the blood meets our sins.

It is a blessed thing in our common every-day life, that we can get Christ as our motive. If a man is fond of money or pleasure, it is the motive he has; that is what he is. If he is full of Christ, that is what he is. You may get two men doing exactly the same thing, only with different motives. With the Christian, Christ is his only motive, or ought to be. There may be a thousand things he has to do, common duties of life, but he can serve Christ in them, and there I get a motive powerful enough. Perhaps you have a froward master; well, you can glorify Christ in that. It is everything that the Christian should understand that he has no motive but Christ; many a thing to do, but no other motive but this. The common things of life do not unspiritualise a person; I must attend to them, and do them properly; but if my motive in doing them is Christ, it is a mistake to think that they hinder my soul in spirituality. Supposing I was making anything for Christ, do you think I should not make it as well as I possibly could? Well, then, we ought to do everything for Christ. It is every-day walk that characterises the Christian: "Whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus," because, if I cannot do it in His name, I ought not to do it at all. If I can do it in His name, there is the motive.

236 But I will consider this a little more methodically before I press it hortatively on my brethren. As to reward, as motive or merit, it is clear that any such thought destroys the whole truth of devotedness, because there is no love in it. It is self, looking, like "James and John," for a good place in the kingdom. Reward there is in Scripture, but it is used to encourage us in the difficulties and dangers which higher and truer motives bring us into. So Christ Himself, "who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame." Yet we well know that His motive was love. So Moses: "He endured as seeing him who is invisible, for he had respect to the recompense of reward." His motive was caring for his brethren. So reward is ever used, and it is a great mercy in this way. And every man receives his reward according to his own labour.

The spring and source of all true devotedness is divine love filling and operating in our hearts: as Paul says, "the love of Christ constraineth us." Its form and character must be drawn from Christ's actings. Hence grace must first be known for oneself, for thus it is I know love. Thus it is that this love is shed abroad in the heart. We learn divine love in divine redemption. This redemption sets us too, remark, in divine righteousness before God. Thus all question of merit, of self-righteousness, is shut out, and self-seeking in our labour set aside. "Grace," we have learnt, "reigns through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ." The infinite perfect love of God towards us has wrought; has done so when we were mere sinners; has thought of our need; given us eternal life in Christ when we were dead in sins - forgiveness and divine righteousness when we were guilty; gives us now to enjoy divine love, to enjoy God by His Spirit dwelling in us, and boldness in the day of judgment, because as Christ, the judge, is, so are we in this world. I speak of all this now in view of the love shewn in it. True, that could not have been divinely without righteousness. That is gloriously made good through Christ, and the heart is free to enjoy God's unhindered love: a love shewn to men in man. For the very angels learn "the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness towards us in Christ Jesus." This knits the heart to Christ, bringing it to God in Him, God in Him to us. We say nothing separates us from this love.

237 The first effect is to lead the heart up, thus sanctifying it we bless God, adore God, thus known; our delight, adoring delight, is in Jesus. But thus near to God and in communion with Him, thus not only united, but consciously united, to Christ by the Holy Ghost, divine love flows into and through our hearts. We become animated by it through our enjoyment of it. It is really "God dwelling in us," as John expresses it; "his love shed abroad in our hearts," as Paul does. It flows thus forth as it did in Christ. Its objects and motives are as in Him, save that He Himself comes in as revealing it. It is the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord; not the less God, but God revealed in Christ, for there we have learnt love. Thus, in all true devotedness, Christ is the first and governing object; next, "His own which are in the world"; and then our fellow-men. First their souls, then their bodies, and every want they are in. His life of good to man governs ours, but His death governs the heart, "Hereby know we love because he laid down his life for us." "The love of Christ constraineth us, because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead; and that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but to him who died for them, and rose again."

Here comes too the scripture doctrine of rewards. As regards righteousness and salvation, reward can have no possible place. These privileges are in Christ, and perfect. They are the reward, so to speak, of His labours and work. So, if one takes reward as the motive for work, he is wholly on false ground. Love and obedience are the only true motives, as they were in Christ Himself. "That the world may know," He says, "that I love the Father, and as the Father gave me commandment, so I do." And again, "My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work." But rewards are presented as encouragements in the difficulties which are on the road into which love and obedience bring us. Thus it could be said of Christ, "Who for the joy that was set before him, endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God." So Moses is approved by the Holy Ghost, saying, "He had respect to the recompense of the reward "; and of all, "Every man shall receive his own reward, according to his own labour." The Thessalonians are a crown, a glory, to Paul, as they are not to us.

It is in this sense, then, that the Apostle tells servants, to be obedient to their masters, according to the flesh "with fear and trembling, in singleness of heart, as unto Christ." That the words "with fear and trembling" do not, in the least imply any slavish "fear of men which bringeth a snare," need hardly be said. For such service could not be "in singleness of heart," nor "unto Christ." Besides, the immediately following words "not with eye-service, as men-pleasers, but as the servants of Christ," would exclude any such thought. And, let us remember that every service which is done "as unto the Lord," will always be done, "with good will" to the master "according to the flesh," "not only to the good and gentle, but also to the froward." But of this we shall speak further on. Mark, there are two motives for service given here the first, and this is paramount, as it is the purest motive — that is, in the fear of the Lord and in affection to His blessed Person, Who as a servant, has set us such an example, as in everything that is good and for the glory of God. This, that is, doing service heartily, as unto the Lord, "fearing the Lord," (which is the correct reading in Col. 3:22), and as "serving the Lord," is paramount. I have spoken of this in the fifth Chapter (pp. 79-81) more explicitly. The second motive for "service" is a "reward," which, in our character of "servants" of Christ, is quite a proper motive. I say in our character as "servants." For the Church, as the "Bride" of Christ, such a motive, or goal if you please, would be utterly out of place for in that character, we have but one motive and only one object, Christ. Therefore the Lord says when speaking to Philadelphia: "Behold, I come quickly." But in Rev. 22, with regard to His discriminating judgment as to the good and evil servants, He says, "Behold, I come quickly, and my reward with me, to give everyone according as his work shall be." It is the same in Eph., and especially in Col. 3:23-25 "and whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men: knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ." What enabled Moses, God's faithful servant, who was "faithful in all his house" to "esteem the reproach of Christ" greater riches than the treasures in Egypt? It was because "he had respect unto the recompense of the reward." Did such a motive, in his character as a "servant," lower the value of Moses action? Certainly not, else the Holy Ghost would not have recorded it as "a good report" to that excellent witness of faith. Christ Himself "for the joy that was set before him, endured the cross, despising the shame," in His character of a servant. Did this in any way detract from His service, or did it impair the perfection of His motives of obedience to His Father, and love to those the Father had given to Him? I need not answer the question. Hope is as legitimate a Christian motive for the servant of Christ, as are faith and love, though the latter is the greatest, and abideth for ever, when faith will be sight, and hope will have become possession and thus both the former will have ceased. May my beloved brothers and sisters in their (before men, but not before God) humble place of service, always remember that even in the sight of men, the most menial work or service is ennobled by a noble motive and a noble object. And what more noble motive and object than Christ, and what more noble reward than "be for ever with the Lord," and serve Him and reign with Him? May He be the sole motive of, and object of all our service! As another has said:

Now there is a reason for the introduction of this passage here; which is simply this: that while men are satisfied - and must be satisfied, for they can go no farther - with the expression of the mere outward behaviour, the word of God occupies itself with the correction of the motives and springs from whence all conduct flows. More than this - no conduct can ever be acceptable in the sight of God that does not flow from a heart subjected to His grace, which brings salvation; and that is not swayed by its daily powers. Rules of conduct are not given, cannot be given, to those whose hearts have not been subjected to "the obedience of faith."

Hannah next alludes to God's omniscience; "Talk no more exceeding proudly; let not arrogancy come out of your mouth; for Jehovah is a God of knowledge, and by Him actions are weighed." Being omniscient He is unerring in His estimate of men; and not merely does He take knowledge of their doings, but weighs their thoughts in the balances of the sanctuary. He reads the heart and weighs motives, rather than outward acts. "Judge not according to appearance," says our Lord, the appointed Judge of all (John 7:24). And in 1 Cor. 4:5, His servant Paul forcibly reminds us that He will in "that day," the day of the revelation of the thoughts of many hearts, make manifest motives — He will weigh purposes as well as actions. O reader, let this solemnize our hearts and make us less careful of what men may think or judge, and cause us to be anxious only to please but One. There is no more beautiful description anywhere of God's omniscience (and His omnipresence, too) than that given by David in the 139th psalm. It is little wonder that he, a man like unto ourselves, should in deepest humility say, "Such knowledge is too wonderful for me."

If we do good deeds we ought to do them as He desires, without even mentioning them. Those who sound a trumpet before them (v. 2) to have glory of men the Lord Jesus calls hypocrites. This is a severe word which shows how detestable such insincerity is.

But one might say, "If someone does good to others the results will remain, even if everybody sees it!" This nobody can deny, but it is not in question here at all. The Lord Jesus speaks of men who pretend to do something for God, but in reality look for recognition and glory from men (as their reward) for their alms. So the Lord Jesus says if they are admired for it by men they do have their reward. They shall not receive any reward from God. God does not primarily honour the results-even if they are most blessed-but the motives of our actions. He desires so much our love for Him (and for our needy fellow-men) to be the motive for our deeds.

This makes all the difference. The moment I work for reward, it ceases to be Christian service. It is not that Christian service will not be rewarded: it most assuredly will, but just so far as it is Christian service, it will be rendered apart from all thought of reward. “The love of Christ,” not the hope of reward, “constrains us.” Why did the wicked and slothful servant hide his talent in the earth? Because he did not know his Lord. Had he known Him, he would have loved Him and served Him for love's sake, which is the only service that Christ values.

Hence, another blessed product of the constraining love of Christ is that they live unto Him. Thus the apostle in Philippians 1:21 says, "For to me to live is Christ." The One who loved him was the governing Object of his life. Where that constraining love is known there is deliverance from self-occupation. The Christian, in the drawing power of that love which "passeth knowledge," is Christ centred. We are all, from the youngest to the oldest, tested here. Is it self or Christ? If we have been constrained by His deathless love to apply the truth of the cross to ourselves we shall likewise be drawn to find in Him an Object outside of ourselves, One who so commands us; so absorbs us; that we cannot help living unto Him. We shall experience the liberty and spontaneity of responsive love. We shall not love because we ought; we shall not serve because we should. There is no legal, servile, bondage here. We shall love, we shall serve, we shall live to Him because we cannot help it. The constraint of His love which on the one hand reduces us to the lowest level, so blesses us that we respond to Him as the flower opens to the rising sun.