Such a hard topic. Very hard. We are not talking of simple things, like I buy food. Why? I must eat. Motive? My stomach. Selfish or realistic? Realistic. We are talking about deeper things. A saying come to mind....scratch my back and I will scratch yours. Means? Look after me and I will look after you. Meaning? Your motive for helping is you want to receive something. Your motive for doing something is to "pay off your guilt" for receiving. This is really baby stuff. Adults know this. It's human nature. Yes, yes, it will be judged..got it..1 Cor 4:5...You do because you want something. What do you want? A pound of flesh? You want someone to "owe" you, hence you have a hold on them in some way? You do, so that in the future you will benefit: either physically, or emotionally, or financially. Maybe you help, for no human reason, but you want God to know " how good you are". There can be a human reason to help. There can be a spiritual reason to help. There can be a divine reason to help. Example..a pretty lady drops a bag..so you pick it up. Why? You want her praise? You want to see her? You help a man. Why? You want something? Money? Everyone does something for some reason. Oh...I do it for love..wow...really? There are many people we help, as they are disadvantaged, disabilities. We help because they really need it. Motive? None. Just helping. So, who knows why we do something? Usually to curry favour in someone's eyes. For one reason or other. So, why help someone, you want to make happy, but you know its a dead end. A lost cause. Helping a married woman, is a lost cause. Helping a betrothed woman, is a lost cause. So why help? Helping a married man is a lost cause. Helping a betrothed man is a lost cause. So why help? To not to help, when you can, is wrong. To help, when you can, to get favour, of which there is none given, is for you, pointless. But it benefits others. The hard thing to do, is doing something, for knowing, you get nothing, except a ..what? Nothing. Complicated. Complex. I help, when I can. What does God give me? The capacity to help. What do I get out of it. Zero. Nothing. So why torture yourself? I can't answer that. Or I can, but I won't. We lay down our lives John 15:13 for the one we love. We give all, for the one we love. There is nothing we would not do, for the one we love. We love her / him with such passion. Undescribable. Help when it's in your power to help. Whatever your motive is, it will benefit the person in need. Spiritually, that's all that matters. Physically, carry that lonely cross.
MCC Admin