My mentor, Lillian, shared a sermon from Charles Finney with me that I found quite fitting in light of thinking about my motivations for going on this trip. The sermon has been titled “False Professors” and uses 2 Kings 17:33 for it’s text (“They feared the Lord, and served their own Gods.”). The basic premise of this sermon is that we don’t always serve God out of simple obedience to His will. More often we serve Him so as to avoid punishment or to receive something we want.
“It is great dishonesty for persons to profess to serve the Lord, and yet in reality serve themselves. You, who are performing religious duties from selfish motives, are in reality trying to make God your servant. If your own interest be the supreme object, all your religious services are only desires to induce God to promote your interests. Why do you pray, or keep the Sabbath, or give your property for religious objects? You answer, “for the sake of promoting my own salvation.” Indeed! Not to glorify God, but to get to heaven! Don’t you think the devil would do all that, if he thought he could gain his end by it– and be a devil still? The highest style of selfishness must be to get God, with all his attributes, enlisted in the service of your mighty self!”
Such convicting words! How often I have thought about this trip in light of what it can do for me. I’m praying that God will change my heart so that this trip is completely about Him and about truly loving the people around me.
