People may be pure in their own eyes, but the Lord examines their motives.

~Leviticus 23:22 ESV

Doing right things for wrong reasons will never bring transformational change to our lives.

There was once a prison inmate who had completed a Christian discipleship program while incarcerated. After his release from jail, he was back behind bars within a few months. In one of his first meetings with the Christian group in the prison, he stood up and said, “I did all you told me to do, just to get out of jail.” He did all the right things for the wrong reason. When our Christian walk is merely an outward façade instead of a heart transformation, it never stands the test of time or temptation.

I worked for seventeen years with a Christian missionary organization, mainly doing discipleship training. I learned that merely complying with our guidelines did not necessarily mean students were being discipled. Motives always determine our actions, and motivations come from the condition of our hearts.

Religion often focuses on the outer trappings of faith rather than who we truly are in our hearts. The Pharisees put on an outer façade of righteousness, but their hearts were empty, and Jesus consistently exposed it. He called them “whited sepulchers,” like lipstick on a pig.

So how do we facilitate this transformation process? How did Jesus do it? He picked a group of men for His disciples who were rough around the edges. A ratty bunch. Yet He saw the potential in their hearts, not how they were but how they could be.

The Lord, when speaking about David’s impressive-looking brother Eliab, said to Samuel the prophet, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7b ESV).

Christianity is caught rather than taught. Therefore, we should approach our actions with the right intentions by being authentic, just as the prisoner was upon his return to jail.

Transparency always leads to spiritual transformation. Live openly and honestly, and people will follow, which is the genius of Jesus-style discipleship.

Make sure you do the right things for the right reasons. 

Father, help me to recognize the importance of my motives as I work for You. In Jesus’s name, amen. 

Genre: Non-fiction

Copyright 2025: Doing Right Things for Wrong Reasons: Ken Barnes: All Rights Reserved.