Check Your Motives

“The light of the body is the eye: therefore when thine eye is single, thy whole body also is full of light; but when thine eye is evil, thy body also is full of darkness.” — Luke 11:34 (KJV)

Meyer’s first practical step for finding God’s guidance is this: our motives must be pure.

Jesus said that when your eye is “single”, focused on one thing, your whole body is full of light. Meyer says that if you have been in the dark about what to do, the reason might be that your eye hasn’t been single. He calls it “a spiritual squint”.

What does that look like? Meyer explains that even when we are trying to follow God, self creeps in. We want to look good. We want people to praise us. We want what will make us more important. He says these hidden motives work “as the masses of iron on ocean steamers deflect the needle of the compass from the pole.”

Think of a compass on a ship. If there is a big lump of iron nearby, the needle won’t point north any more. It will point slightly wrong, and the ship will go off course without anyone noticing.

Our motives are like that. If part of you is choosing a subject because it’s what God wants, and part of you is choosing it because it will impress people, it becomes hard to tell which way is really north.

Meyer says: “So long as there is some thought of personal advantage, some idea of acquiring the praise and commendation of men, some aim at self-aggrandisement, it will be simply impossible to find out God’s purpose concerning us.”

That doesn’t mean you have to be perfect before God will guide you. It means being honest. Ask the Holy Spirit to show you your real motives, and ask him to give you a single eye, one main aim.

Meyer suggests the aim that Jesus had: to glorify God. Jesus said near the end of his life, “I have glorified thee on the earth.” Meyer says to make this the watchword of your life: “Glory to God in the highest.”

One thing to do this week: think about a decision you are facing. Write down all your reasons for each option, honestly, including the not-so-noble ones. Then pray: “Lord, give me a single eye. Help me want what brings you glory.”