The Autobahn

Every man’s way is right in his own eyes, But the Lord weighs the heart.
Proverbs 21:2

 A couple of years ago we were visiting our son in Germany. He is in the United States Army and is stationed there. I was able to do something that most men dream of, drive on the Autobahn.  It was a fun experience and one I will never forget. The autobahn is Germany’s version of our interstate system.  They are similar in the fact that they are both made of concrete and/or asphalt. Both have lines painted on either side and down the lanes. Both have safety rails in spots.  They both have signs every few miles telling you the exit ramp numbers and other valuable information.  Today they are both used for the same reason, to allow people to travel easily from one area to another, but they have very different origins and original purposes. Hitler devised the Autobahn to be able to move weapons and his military easily across the country. He had world domination on his mind. President Eisenhower created our interstate system to be able to move people out of harm’s way in case of a nuclear attack. He wanted to make sure the American people could get to safety if needed.  Both look like similar systems, but they were built with different motives. Our motives are important.
​
In Proverbs 21:2, Solomon is reminding us to do the right thing for the right reasons. Why? Because the Lord our God examines our hearts.  He knows our motives. We can do all of the service to our Lord that we want, but unless we do it for the right reasons, it is meaningless. You may be a Sunday School teacher or a Deacon in your church. Are you doing it because no one else would? Or are you doing it because you love Jesus?  All of our service to Him needs to be done with the right motives. They may both look the same on the outside, but Jesus knows our hearts.

“For am I now seeking the favor of men, or of God? Or am I striving to please men, or God? If I were still striving to please men, I would not be a bond servant of God.”  Galatians 1: 10
 The Apostle Paul is calling the Galatian Church to examine their own hearts. Were they serving to be seen or for the praise of other people? Or were they serving because they wanted to serve the Lord? Again both look the same on the outside, but God knows our hearts. We should never serve, just to impress others or just for the sake of serving. God deserves passion in our service to Him. God deserves us pouring our hearts into our relationship with Him. We can fool other people day in and day out with our service. We will never fool God. He can see straight into our hearts. He knows the motives behind everything that we do for Him.

 If you are serving God, check your motives. Make sure that they are pure. If you are not serving, stop and think about everything that Jesus has done for and promised to you and get up and put some passion in your Christian walk.