April 20 2026

Monday April 20

Serving the Lord—But Why?

Philippians 1:15–16

Today we are continuing in Philippians 1, and we are looking at verses 15 and 16. This is a very searching passage of Scripture where the Apostle Paul says: “Some indeed preach Christ even of envy and strife; and some also of good will. The one preach Christ of contention, not sincerely, supposing to add affliction to my bonds.” This is a sobering statement. The Apostle Paul is saying that there were some people actually preaching Christ, but doing it with the wrong motives.

We could have entitle our chat today: “What kind of motives do you have as you serve Christ?” Are we serving Christ with the right motives, or are we serving Him for the wrong reasons? Paul said, some were driven by envy, jealousy, and selfish ambition. He says they were not sincere. In fact, they were hoping to make Paul’s situation even more difficult while he was in prison.

This reminds us of a very important truth: it is possible to do the right thing, but for the wrong reasons or the wrong motives. As we understand, Paul even goes on to say that although some preach Christ for the wrong reasons, he still rejoices that Christ is being preached. So yes, Paul rejoices that the gospel is going forth. But this does not mean that God ignores the motives of the heart. One day, every motive will be examined.

In 1 Corinthians 3:12–15, we are told that our works will be tested by fire: “If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.” This is not a judgment of whether or not we are saved—that was settled at the cross when we trusted Christ. But it is a matter of our works and our motives. The fire will reveal what kind of work it really was.

Then in 1 Corinthians 4:5, Paul writes: “The Lord will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts.” Did you catch that? Not only what we did, but why we did it will be revealed. Jesus spoke very plainly about this in Matthew chapter 6. He warned about giving, praying, and fasting just to be seen by others. And each time He said: “They have their reward.” In other words, if the praise of people is what they wanted, then that is all the reward they will receive. There will be no reward from our Father in heaven when we do things just to be praised by men.

This brings to light the words of Jesus in John 15:5: “Without Me, you can do nothing.” That does not mean we cannot stay busy or accomplish things outwardly. It means we can do nothing of eternal value apart from Him—nothing that will count for eternity, nothing that will stand the test when it passes through the fire at the judgment seat of Christ.

So we must continually ask ourselves the question: Why am I serving the Lord? Am I serving Him out of love for Christ? Am I serving Him for His glory? Or is there a desire to be seen, to be recognized, or even to be compared to others? I know some people serve Christ out of what might be called “religious compensation”. They are trying to make up for the wrong they did before they were saved. My friend, we can never repay Christ for what He did for us on the cross. That is a wrong motive and a wrong reason to serve Him.

In Colossians 3:23–24, we read: “And whatsoever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; Knowing that of the Lord you shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for you serve the Lord Christ.” We must always remember that one day we will stand before the Lord Jesus Christ, and everything will be revealed. The things done for Him, through Him, and in dependence upon Him will remain—and they will be rewarded. But the things done in the flesh, for self, or for the praise of men, will be burned up.

May God help us to serve the Lord with a pure heart, in full dependence upon Christ, and for His glory alone. For in the end, that is all that will matter. May God help us to do that today.

God bless and may you have a wonderful, wonderful day!