March 27, 2025 Devo

Have you ever done the right thing for the wrong reason? I have. One of the most broken moments of my life was several years ago when God showed me that even holy things can be done with a dark heart. I was the pastor of a growing church. We were adding new people to our congregation every week. All the charts and graphs I used to measure our success were going in the right direction. Then, late one Saturday night, God showed me something that crushed me. What I was doing in the church was all about ME.
I wanted the church to grow because it made me feel good about myself. I was more concerned about adding members than I was about God changing lives. I was more excited about making a name than I was about making disciples. I was trying harder to fill a gaping hole of insecurity in my life rather than trying to make a difference in our community. When God held the mirror up that night for me to see myself as I was, I collapsed in shame. I was doing a lot of really good things. They just weren’t being done for the right reasons. It was a painful and powerful lesson.
That’s why I think David’s prayer here is so important. We can do a LOT of good things for the wrong reasons. Sometimes we do things out of obligation. Sometimes we do things because we think we’re going to get something in return. Sometimes we do the right things with the wrong attitude. Sometimes, like what God dealt with me about, we do good things because of how it makes us look, feel, or appear to others.
We forget that God wants so much more for us than to do good things. He wants us to have Good Hearts. He wants us to have the Right Intentions. He’s concerned about our motivation, not just our actions. I was the pastor of a growing church, but I was dying from a shrinking heart. Then God examined me and showed me how far from Him I was. Not a lot changed on the outside after that. But I was a LOT different on the inside. I cared more about people and less about appearance. I cared more about God’s approval and less about the approval of others. I was a better pastor. I was a better person. That Saturday night was the worst night of my life. It was also the BEST. That’s God’s Word for you today.