Motives

So I've recently had some good discussions on motives with different people. It seems that some of these people have great hopes of encouraging younger people in their lives to live their faith out passionately but are concerned that encouraging them to serve is also an opportunity for pride. This is a real concern because many people do serve for the wrong reasons.

Paul the apostle went through some of this when he was imprisoned and writing to the church in Phillipi. People in the church were concerned about those who "are preaching Christ even from envy and strife" but Paul pretty much told them, not to worry about it, because the gospel was being preached.

Caveat-----> These people must have been preaching truth at this time because Paul was pretty hard on those
who distorted the gospel. He didn't let those people get away. Just like we are supposed to judge those inside the church who do not represent what Jesus was about, people who spread hate, Christian politicians who lie, those who are greedy, those who show favoritism etc...

1 Corinthians 4:5 says "Therefore do not go on passing judgment before the time, but wait until the Lord comes who will both bring to light the things hidden in the darkness and disclose the motives of men's hearts; and then each man's praise will come to him from God."

If you read that scripture in context it really brings this out. Paul says that he himself isn't even examining his own motives, that's God's job. The funny thing is that the reason he gives for people to lay off of their judgment is so that they don't become arrogant. Which would be impure motives. =)... Maybe his point is that concerning yourself too much about motives is more dangerous to your altruism than just living life and possibly having some selfish motives involved. I think basically Paul is saying that God is going to sort things out in the end.