My parents love TV shows about forensic science and solving cases. CSI: NY, CSI: Miami, Fringe, The Mentalist, NCIS - they watch a lot of them. I don't like them quite as much as they do, but I frequently sit and do homework in the same room. Or if it's a good one, *cough* The Mentalist *cough*, I'll purposefully watch it with them.
On these crime shows, every episode brings a different case that the group of main characters works on. The writers are really quite talented, and every episode has several twists and turns before the climax when the agents finally catch the culprit and put him behind bars. Usually one of the big things they look for when examining suspects is motive. WHY would so-and-so want to commit this crime? Have they had a problem with the person in the past? Is there history there? Was there a previous offense? It is very typical to hear them say something like, "He doesn't have an alibi, but he also has no motive." In other words, Sam has no alibi during Jacob's murder, but there is also no obvious reason Sam would want to kill Jacob, so why should we even check into that?
Motive is very important to the people solving cases on these shows. It got me thinking yesterday that in real life I hardly ever think about motive. But agents of the CIA and FBI have to constantly evaluate motive. Let's figure out the reason behind so-and-so's action.
Motive as defined by merriam-webster.com is "something (as a need or desire) that causes a person to act." In other words, why someone moves to do something.
It seems that in my life most people are primarily concerned with actions. Does she obey her parents, does he read his Bible, do they get their homework done, does he talk to his mom a lot, is she nice to her friends... etc. Never do I think or hear why does she obey her parents? Or why does he read his Bible?
Why don't we think more about why people do things? Perhaps because we cannot easily tell. But God can.
Yesterday I realized a lesson I had learned before in a new way. It's actually incorrect to say I learned this lesson from the crime shows - reminded is a better word. They actual idea originated in the Bible. 1 Samuel 16:7 says that "The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart."
Proverbs 21:2 says "All a man's ways seem right to him, but the LORD weighs the heart." Matthew 6:1-18 talks about motive; how we shouldn't do good works in order to look good before people. 1 Corinthians 4:5 is a rather scary verse - "Therefore do not pronounce judgment before the time, before the Lord comes, who will bring to light the things now hidden in darkness and will disclose the purposes of the heart. Then each one will receive his commendation from God." In other words, one day, the "purposes of the heart" (motives) will be revealed. THEN people will be commended by God.
Whoa nelly. I don't know about you, but that verse makes me want to say "eeks." Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 says "The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil."
God will bring every deed into judgment... and the purpose of the heart for that deed.
The tricky thing about this is that no one truly knows your motives for actions except God. It's a personal issue. I can guess about people's motives, and sometimes I'm right. But I have no way to really, really know why someone does something.
This is an issue I need to work on in my life. WHY are you doing what you're doing? Why are you reading your Bible? Because you have to, because you feel better about yourself if you do, or because you want to be fed with God's Word? This is one example of countless others in our everyday lives.
Two different people can be doing the same thing, one serving the Lord, and the other defaming His name through their prideful heart. Only God knows.
Sadly, I know that throughout the years I have done many things that to others looked like sincere service to God, but in actuality they were a pathetic prideful attempt to look good before other people. Or maybe even to "look good" before God. Ha.
We not only have to choose what we do, but why we do it. Who knew that crime TV shows could have reminded me of this important lesson. Haha, oh wait - pretty sure it was God.
Disclaimer: I am not necessarily recommending any of these shows. Thinking about them just reminded me of this lesson. Just throwing that out there. ;)
Disclaimer: I am not necessarily recommending any of these shows. Thinking about them just reminded me of this lesson. Just throwing that out there. ;)
