1 Corinthians 3:11-15 For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is. If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.
Galatians 6:9 And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not
Matthew 7:21-23 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
Hebrews 11:7 By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith.
Ephesians 2:8-9 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.
I find it hard sometimes when I read these verses not to get caught up in the wrong motives. It is obvious that God wants us to do good works, not that we can earn our way into heaven, but to prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God to a world that rejects Him. However, I see that I shall receive rewards if I am diligent in these reasonable services. I think my human mind is then consumed by a desire to do God's will not for a love of God, but for the personal gain that I may achieve with these actions. This comes full circle when considering whether it will actually gain me this, however, because if our actions are not of faith they are not of God and therefore they are not for his glory and we will not receive a reward. In fact, we may ultimately be condemned to hell for our selfish actions. So often I feel that I myself am not sure whether my actions are genuine, only God knows the motives of the soul (1 Chronicles 28:9; Proverbs 16:2).
Where does this leave us? Consider the parable of the sheep and the goats in Matthew 25 verses 31-46; those that were considered righteous were unaware of their good works. Does it take a special spirit; must we be born with a great love and passion for others in order to achieve this righteousness? This cannot be, for there is not predestination (God wants all to come to repentance- 1 Timothy 2:4; 2 Peter 3:9). So my dilemma continues, how do I know that my works are done with the right motive? I look to Deuteronomy 6:5b Love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. And Proverbs 16:3 Commit thy works unto the LORD, and thy thoughts shall be established.
The Lord wants all to do right, He is not trying to trick us into an eternity in hell, therefore let us heed the advise in Matthew 7 Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. Let us not be cast headlong into our pursuits for vain pride and glory, for these lead only to destruction (Proverbs 16:18), but let us be careful to consider and ask God for guidance in all our pursuits least we be lead astray in our actions. Satan can quite easily turn our initially pure motives into wickedness and evil. Consider David's 1st attempt to bring the ark home to Jerusalem (in 2 Samuel 6), He failed to inquire of God and to follow the strict instructions that God had set forth for its movement and it cost Uzzah his life. There was nothing wrong with the desire to bring the ark to Jerusalem, but failing to inquire of God and keep His statues led to trouble. This is what we can also expect in our lives when we fail to inquire of the Lord.
