Mixed Motivations (And how they Don’t matter)

                I have been reflecting on Romans 8:5 “Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires.” This passage of scripture is all about desires inside us. Some of those desires come from the flesh or the sinful nature. We can live out of a desire to foster our sinful pride, or hatred or envy. The desires of the sinful nature revolve around me and what is mine. Life is all about me - is what our sinful nature will tell us.

               There is another set of desires within those of us who are followers of Jesus. These desires come from the Holy Spirit. We can live out of (or set our minds) on what the Spirit desires. Love, joy, peace, etc. This scripture passage is about having real life. It is the Spirit’s desire that you live your life in a way that you really flourish. The Spirit gives you desires that reflect what God wants for you. 

                But sometimes it is hard to know where the desires we have are coming from. Is doing an act of love coming out of love, or am I doing this so that the person I am showing love to will think I am a nice guy? Am I being called to rest because I need it or because I am lazy? When it comes to mix motives we can get ourselves all twisted up in a knot.

I have come to the conclusion that it doesn’t really matter if we have mixed motivations. There is something deeper going on here. The key verse when it comes to those desires is verse 14.

Romans 8:14

For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God

                When we think about being led by the Spirit we tend to think about the big decisions in life like our career, or relationships, etc. But that is not what this verse is primarily talking about. It is talking about the little decisions on how we should live. It is talking about the learning to be led by the Spirit so we are living out what the Spirit desires. (Should we serve, or should we say no to a ministry that we are asked to do? Should we push ourselves or should we rest?) The question is not, “are my motivations mixed? The question is, “What is God leading me to do?” If you are doing what God is leading you to do, God will take care of your heart and your motivations. Learning to be led by the Spirit is one of the great lessons to be learned in the Christian life.