Love as Our Motivation: Surrendering to God

Today, we gathered to pray for our brothers and sisters embarking on mission trips to India and Indonesia, asking for God’s protection, favor, and anointing as they go to serve and train others. We also remembered the persecuted church worldwide, interceding for those who have lost loved ones and for the freedom to worship Christ without fear. This freedom we enjoy is not to be taken for granted, and we must remain thankful and vigilant, knowing that persecution can come at any time.

Our focus then turned to the third pillar of our church: “Love is our motivation.” Before we can talk about love, we must examine our motivations—the reasons behind our actions. Motivation is the internal drive that compels us to act, and it can be rooted in either good or selfish desires. God is not only interested in what we do, but why we do it. Scripture teaches that while people look at outward appearances, God examines the heart and the motives behind our actions.

We explored the story of King Saul, who started well but eventually allowed the fear of people and the desire for their approval to override his obedience to God. Saul’s downfall was not just in his actions, but in his motives—he became a people-pleaser rather than a God-pleaser. This serves as a warning for us: our service, worship, and acts of love must be motivated by a desire to honor God, not to gain the approval of others.

The human heart, as Jeremiah says, is deceitful and desperately wicked. Often, we are not even aware of our own motives. James reminds us that sometimes our prayers go unanswered because our motives are selfish. The solution is complete surrender—giving God control of our hearts and lives, trusting Him to lead us, and asking Him to purify our motives. Like David, we must invite God to search our hearts, test our motives, and lead us in His ways.

As we reflect, we must ask ourselves: Would we still serve, give, or sacrifice if no one noticed? Would we persist if it meant suffering or misunderstanding? God is calling us to a deeper level of surrender and authenticity, where our motives are aligned with His love and truth. Restoration and reconciliation are always God’s goal, and He invites us to humble ourselves, surrender, and be restored.

Key Takeaways

• 1. God Examines Our Motives, Not Just Our Actions While people may judge by outward appearances, God looks at the heart and the underlying motives behind what we do. Outward acts of service, worship, or generosity are meaningless if they are not rooted in a heart fully devoted to God. This calls us to continual self-examination and honesty before God, seeking to align our motives with His will. [67:44]
• 2. The Danger of People-Pleasing Over God-Pleasing King Saul’s downfall illustrates how the fear of people and the desire for their approval can lead us away from obedience to God. When our motivation shifts from honoring God to seeking affirmation from others, we compromise our calling and integrity. True freedom and security are found in living for God’s approval alone, not the shifting opinions of people. [76:18]
• 3. The Deceitfulness of the Human Heart Scripture warns that the human heart is deceitful and often hides motives even from ourselves. We may think we are acting rightly, but our hearts can be driven by pride, selfishness, or fear. The only way to address this is to invite God to search and reveal what is truly within us, and to be open to His correction and transformation. [79:13]
• 4. Surrendering Control Leads to True Freedom Surrendering our lives to God means letting go of control and trusting Him to lead us. Like the analogy of releasing a bowling ball, once we give our lives to God, we must resist the urge to keep trying to control outcomes. True joy, peace, and freedom are found in complete surrender, allowing God’s wisdom and love to guide our motives and actions. [84:34]
• 5. Authentic Worship Flows from Pure Motives Our highest calling is to worship God, and every act of love or service should flow from this place. When our motivation is rooted in worship and love for God, our actions become pleasing to Him. Regularly asking God to search our hearts ensures that our service is not for recognition or self-gain, but as a genuine response to His unfailing love.
  
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Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [52:28] - Praying for Missionaries
• [53:42] - Interceding for the Persecuted Church
• [55:30] - Thankfulness for Freedom to Worship
• [63:07] - Introduction to the Five Pillars
• [63:39] - Love as Our Motivation
• [64:55] - Understanding Motivation and Motives
• [66:54] - God Looks at the Heart
• [68:41] - The Story of King Saul
• [75:51] - Saul’s Motive: Fear of People
• [77:33] - The Boundaries of God’s Word
• [79:13] - The Deceitfulness of the Heart
• [81:12] - The Solution: Surrender to God
• [84:34] - The Joy of Letting Go of Control
• [86:58] - David’s Prayer: Search My Heart
• [88:40] - Worship as Our Highest Calling
• [90:09] - Questions for Self-Examination
• [93:23] - Restoration Through Surrender
• [94:18] - Invitation to Salvation
• [95:29] - Closing Prayer

Bible Reading

1 Samuel 15:10-31 (ESV) — > The word of the Lord came to Samuel: “I regret that I have made Saul king, for he has turned back from following me and has not performed my commandments.” ... (Read the full passage in your Bible)

2. Proverbs 16:2 (ESV)
> All the ways of a man are pure in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the spirit.

3. Jeremiah 17:9 (ESV)
> The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?

Observation Questions

1. In the story of King Saul (1 Samuel 15:10-31), what specific command did God give Saul, and how did Saul respond? What was Saul’s explanation for his actions? ([01:14:09])
2. According to Proverbs 16:2, how does God’s way of evaluating people differ from how people evaluate themselves?
3. What does Jeremiah 17:9 say about the human heart, and why is this important for understanding our motives? ([01:19:13])
4. In the sermon, what was identified as the main reason Saul disobeyed God’s command? ([01:16:18])

Interpretation Questions

1. Why does God care about our motives and not just our actions? How does this challenge the way we usually think about “doing good”? ([01:07:44])
2. What are some dangers of being motivated by the approval of people rather than the approval of God, as seen in Saul’s story? ([01:16:18])
3. The sermon mentioned that our hearts can deceive us, and sometimes we don’t even know our own motives. What are some ways this can show up in our lives or prayers? ([01:20:04])
4. According to the sermon, what is the solution for dealing with wrong motives in our hearts? How does surrendering to God help us? ([01:21:12])

Application Questions

1. The sermon asked: “If no one ever knew what you were doing—serving, giving, sacrificing—would you still do it?” How does this question make you feel about your own acts of service or generosity? Are there things you do mainly for recognition? ([01:30:09])
2. Think about a time when you were tempted to please people instead of God. What happened, and what would you do differently now after hearing Saul’s story? ([01:16:18])
3. The pastor said our hearts are “deceitful” and sometimes we don’t even know our own motives. What is one area in your life where you might need to ask God to “search your heart” like David did? ([01:26:58])
4. The sermon used the example of letting go of a bowling ball to describe surrendering control to God. Is there an area of your life where you are still “twisting and turning” after letting go? What would it look like to fully surrender that to God? ([01:24:34])
5. When you pray, do you ever stop to consider your motives for what you’re asking? How might your prayers change if you asked God to purify your motives first? ([01:20:04])
6. The pastor said our highest calling is to worship God, and that all our acts of love and service should flow from that. What is one practical way you can make worship your motivation this week, rather than seeking approval or reward? ([01:28:40])
7. The sermon ended with an invitation to surrender and be restored. Is there a step of surrender or humility you feel God is asking you to take right now? What would it look like to respond? ([01:33:23])