28 Bible Verses about Motives, Examples Of

Some preach Christ from envy and strife and some from good will. The latter ones do it out of love, knowing that I am set (appointed) (placed here) for the defense of the good news. But the others proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition without pure motives, thinking to cause me great suffering and distress in my imprisonment.read more.
What then? That in every way, whether in pretence or in truth, Christ is proclaimed! For that I rejoice. Yes, and I will rejoice!

Saul's daughter Michal fell in love with David. When Saul heard of this he was pleased. He said to himself: I will give Michal to David. I will use her to trap him. The Philistines will kill him. So for the second time Saul said to David: You will be my son-in-law. Saul ordered his officials to speak to David in private. They went to David and said: Look, the king likes you, and all of his officials are loyal to you. Why not ask the king if you may marry his daughter Michal?read more.
Saul's servants said these things to David. And David said: I am not rich or famous enough to marry Princess Michal.

Solomon continued: My father David planned to build a temple for the worship of Jehovah the God of Israel, Jehovah said to him: 'You were right in wanting to build a temple for me. However you will never build it. It is your son who will build my temple.'

My father David had his heart set on building a Temple for the name of Jehovah the God of Israel. However, Jehovah said to my father David: Since you had your heart set on building a Temple for my name, your intentions were good. You must not build the Temple. Instead, your own son will build the Temple for my name.

The birth (genesis: origin) (beginning) of Jesus Christ was as follows: His mother Mary had been promised to Joseph in marriage. But before they were married, Mary realized that she was pregnant by Holy Spirit. Her husband Joseph was an honorable man and did not want to disgrace her publicly. So he decided to break the marriage agreement with her secretly. Joseph had this in mind when God's angel appeared to him in a dream. The angel said to him: Joseph, descendant of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. She is pregnant by Holy Spirit.

Joseph's brothers were jealous of him. His father kept thinking about the whole matter.

Before he arrived, they saw him coming and made plans to kill him. They said to one another: Look, here comes the hero of those dreams! Let us kill him and throw him into a water pit. We can say that some wild animal ate him. Then we will see what happens to those dreams.read more.
Reuben heard this and tried to protect Joseph from them. Let us not kill him, he said. Do not murder him or even harm him. Just throw him into a dry well out here in the desert. Reuben planned to rescue Joseph later and take him back to his father. When Joseph came to his brothers, they pulled off his fancy coat. They put him into a water pit. It had no water in it. As they sat down to eat, they saw a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead. Their camels were carrying the materials for cosmetics, medicine, and embalming. They were on their way to take them to Egypt. Judah asked his brothers: What will we gain by killing our brother and covering up his death? Let us sell him to the Ishmaelites. Let us not hurt him, because he is our brother, our own flesh and blood. His brothers agreed. Some of the Midianite traders approached. The brothers pulled Joseph out of the well and sold him for twenty pieces of silver to the Ishmaelites. They took him to Egypt.

The Lord Jehovah says: Because the Philistines have acted in revenge and scorn and have taken vengeance to destroy with everlasting enmity, therefore the Lord Jehovah says: 'I will stretch out my hand (exert power) against the Philistines. I will even cut off the Cherethites and destroy the remnant of the seacoast.

'The Lord Jehovah says: 'Surely in the fire of my jealousy I have spoken against the rest of the nations, and against all Edom, who appropriated my land for themselves as a possession with wholehearted joy and with scorn, to drive it out for a prey.''

Then Herod secretly called the astrologers to find out exactly the time the star appeared. He sent them to Bethlehem. He said: Search diligently for the young child. When you find him, bring me word so I may come and bow down to him also. After they heard the king, they followed the star until it stopped over the place where the child was.read more.
They were overwhelmed with joy to see the star. They entered the house and saw the young child with his mother Mary. They bowed down and paid him homage. Then they opened their treasure chests and offered gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. God warned the astrologers in a dream not to go back to Herod. So they departed for their country by a different road. When they left, the angel of God appeared to Joseph in a dream and said: Herod is looking to kill the young child. Arise, take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you to leave.

Judas Iscariot, the disciple who would betray him said: Why was this ointment not sold for three hundred danarii, and given to the poor? He did not say this because he cared for the poor. He was a thief. He had the moneybox and took away what was put in it.

Elisha said: Go in peace. And Naaman left. He had gone only a short distance, when Elisha's servant Gehazi said to himself: My master has let Naaman get away without paying a thing! He should have accepted what that Syrian offered him. By the living God Jehovah I will run after him and get something from him. He ran after Naaman. When Naaman saw a man running after him, he got down from his chariot to meet him, and asked: What is wrong?read more.
Nothing is wrong, answered Gehazi. But my master sent me to tell you that just now two members of the group of prophets in the hill country of Ephraim arrived. He would like you to give them three thousand pieces of silver and two changes of fine clothes. Please take six thousand pieces of silver, Naaman replied. He tied the silver in two bags and gave them and two changes of fine clothes to two of his servants, and sent them on ahead of Gehazi. They reached the hill where Elisha lived. Gehazi took the two bags and carried them into the house. Then he sent Naaman's servants back. He went into the house. Elisha asked him: Where have you been? Oh, nowhere, he answered. Elisha said: Was I there in spirit when the man got out of his chariot to meet you? This is no time to accept money and clothes, olive groves and vineyards, sheep and cattle, or servants! Naaman's leprosy will come upon you. You and your descendants will have it from generation to generation! When Gehazi left, he had the disease. His skin was as white as snow.

There are many unruly (rebellious) men, vain talkers, and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision. They must be stopped. Their mouths must be shut up, for they subvert entire households. They teach things that should not be taught, for the sake of dishonest gain.

So the people of the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh went back home. They left the rest of the people of Israel at Shiloh in the land of Canaan and started out for their own land, the land of Gilead, which they had taken as Jehovah commanded them through Moses. The children of Reuben and Gad and the half tribe of Manassah built a large altar by the borders of Jordan in the land of Canaan. The children of Israel heard that the half tribe of Manasseh built an altar in the land of Canaan on the side belonging to the sons of Israel, at the Jordan when they passed by.read more.
When the people of Israel heard this, the whole community came together at Shiloh to go to war against the eastern tribes. Then the people of Israel sent Phinehas, the son of Eleazar the priest, to the people of the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and East Manasseh in the land of Gilead. Ten leading men went with Phinehas, one from each of the western tribes and each one the head of a family among the clans. They came to the land of Gilead, to the people of Reuben, Gad, and East Manasseh, Speaking for the whole assembly of Jehovah's people they said: Why have you done this evil thing against the God of Israel? You have rebelled against Jehovah by building this altar for yourselves! You are no longer following him! Do you remember our sin at Peor, when Jehovah punished his own people with an epidemic? We are still suffering because of that. Was that not enough sin? Are you going to refuse to follow him now? If you rebel against Jehovah now, he will be angry with everyone in Israel. If your land is not fit to worship in, come over into Jehovah's land, where his Tabernacle is. Claim some land among us. But do not rebel against Jehovah or make rebels out of us by building an altar in addition to the altar of Jehovah our God. Remember how Achan son of Zerah would not obey the command about the things condemned to destruction. The whole assembly of Israel was punished for that. Achan was not the only one who died because of his sin. The people of the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and East Manasseh answered the heads of the families of the western tribes: The Mighty, Divine One is God of Gods! He is Jehovah! The Mighty, Divine One is God of Gods! He is Jehovah! He knows why we did this, and we want you to know too! If we rebelled and did not keep faith with Jehovah, do not allow us to live any longer! If we disobeyed Jehovah and built our own altar to burn sacrifices on or to use for grain offerings or fellowship offerings, let Jehovah himself punish us. No! We did it because we were afraid that in the future your descendants would say to ours: What do you have to do with Jehovah, the God of Israel? He made the Jordan a boundary between the people of Reuben and Gad and us. You have nothing to do with Jehovah. Then your descendants might make our descendants stop worshiping Jehovah. We did not built an altar to burn sacrifices or make offerings, but instead, as a sign for our people and yours, and for the generations after us, that we do indeed worship Jehovah. We do this before his sacred Tabernacle with our offerings to be burned and with sacrifices and fellowship offerings. This was to keep your descendants from saying that ours have nothing to do with Jehovah. We thought that if this should ever happen, our descendants could say: 'You see our ancestors made an altar just like Jehovah's altar. It was not for burning offerings or for sacrifice, but as a sign for our people and yours.' We would certainly not rebel against Jehovah or stop following him now by building an altar to burn offerings on or for grain offerings or sacrifices. We would not build any other altar than the altar of Jehovah our God that stands in front of the Tabernacle of his presence. Phinehas the priest and the ten leading men of the community with him, the heads of families of the western tribes, heard what the people of the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and East Manasseh had to say, and they were satisfied. Phinehas, the son of Eleazar the priest, said to them: We know that Jehovah is with us. You have not rebelled against him. So you have saved the people of Israel from Jehovah's punishment. Phinehas and the leaders left the people of Reuben and Gad in the land of Gilead and went back to Canaan, to the people of Israel, and reported to them. The Israelites were satisfied and praised God. They no longer talked about going to war to devastate the land where the people of Reuben and Gad had settled. The people of Reuben and Gad said: This altar is a witness to all of us that Jehovah is God. Therefore they named it witness.

The sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad had a large number of livestock. They saw the land of Jazer and the land of Gilead was indeed a place suitable for livestock. They approached Moses, the priest Eleazar, and the leaders of the congregation and said: Ataroth, Dibon, Jazer, Nimrah, Heshbon, Elealeh, Sebam, Nebo, and Beon,read more.
the land Jehovah won for the congregation of Israel, is a good place for livestock. Gentlemen, we have livestock. Please give us this land as our property. Do not make us cross the Jordan River. Moses asked the tribes of Gad and Reuben: Are you going to stay here while the rest of the Israelites go to war? That might discourage them from entering the land Jehovah has given them. That is what your ancestors did when I sent them from Kadesh Barnea to look at the land. They went as far as the Eshcol Valley. They saw the land. But then they discouraged the rest of the Israelites from entering the land Jehovah had given them. That day Jehovah became angry and swore this oath: None of the people twenty years old or older, who came from Egypt, will see the land I promised Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob with an oath. This is because they did not wholeheartedly follow me. Only Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite and Joshua son of Nun will get to see the land. This is because they wholeheartedly followed Jehovah. Jehovah's anger blazed against the Israelites. Therefore he made them wander in the desert for forty years until the whole generation of those who had done evil in Jehovah's presence was gone. You are just like your parents! You are a bunch of sinners trying to make Jehovah angry at Israel again. If you turn away from him he will abandon all these people in the desert. You would be responsible for their destruction. The tribes of Gad and Reuben came to Moses and said: Allow us to build stone fences for our livestock and cities for our families here. Then we will be ready to march in battle formation ahead of the other Israelites until we have brought them to their land. Meanwhile our families will live in walled cities. They will be safe from the other people who live here. We will not return to our homes until every Israelite has received his own land. We will not take possession of any land on the other side of the Jordan River, to the west and beyond. We already have our land here, east of the Jordan. Moses answered: If you really mean what you say, then here in the presence of Jehovah get ready to go into battle. All your fighting men are to cross the Jordan and under Jehovah's command they are to attack our enemies until Jehovah defeats them and takes possession of the land. You may return after that, because you will have fulfilled your obligation to Jehovah and to the other Israelites. Then Jehovah will acknowledge that this land east of the Jordan is yours. If you do not keep your promise, I warn you that you will be sinning against Jehovah. Do not doubt this, you will be punished for your sin. So build your towns and the enclosures for your sheep, but do what you have promised! The men from Reuben and Gad answered Moses: Sir, we will do just what you have said. Our wives, children, sheep and cattle will stay here in the towns in Gilead. However those of us prepared for battle will cross the Jordan and fight for Jehovah. Moses said to Eleazar, Joshua, and the family leaders: Make sure the tribes of Gad and Reuben prepare for battle and cross the Jordan River with you. If they do, then after the land is in your control, give them the region of Gilead as their tribal land. But if they break their promise, they will receive land on the other side of the Jordan, like the rest of the tribes. The tribes of Gad and Reuben replied: We are your servants and will do whatever Jehovah has commanded. We will enter Canaan as armed troops in Jehovah's presence. The land we will take possession of is here, east of the Jordan. So Moses gave the tribes of Gad, Reuben, and half of the tribe of Manasseh, son of Joseph, the kingdoms of King Sihon of the Amorites and King Og of Bashan. It was the whole land with its cities and its surrounding territory.

Later the king of Ammon died. His son Hanun became king in his place. David thought: I will show kindness to Hanun since his father Nahash showed me kindness. David sent his servants to comfort Hanun after his father's death. When David's servants entered Ammonite territory, the Ammonite princes asked their master Hanun: Do you think David is honoring your father because he sent men to comfort you? Perhaps David sent his men to explore the city, spy on it, and destroy it.read more.
Hanun seized David's men and shaved off half of each man's beard. He cut off their clothes from the waist down, and sent them away.

In the course of time, Nahash king of the Ammonites died, and his son succeeded him as king. David thought: I will show kindness to Hanun son of Nahash, because his father showed kindness to me. So David sent a delegation to express his sympathy to Hanun concerning his father. David's men came to Hanun in the land of the Ammonites to express sympathy to him. The Ammonite nobles said to Hanun: Do you think David honors your father by sending men to you to express sympathy? Or have his men come to you to explore and spy out the country and overthrow it?read more.
Therefore Hanun seized David's men, shaved them, cut off their garments in the middle at the buttocks, and sent them away.

The king said: Go to the king of Israel and take this letter to him. Naaman departed. He took thirty thousand pieces of silver, six thousand pieces of gold, and ten changes of fine clothes. The letter stated: This letter will introduce my officer Naaman. I want you to cure him of his leprosy. The king of Israel read the letter and tore his clothes and said: How can the king of Syria expect me to cure this man? Does he think that I am God, with the power of life and death? It is plain that he is trying to start a quarrel with me!

He sent me and is with me. He has not left me alone. I always do the things that are pleasing to him!

Jesus said: My food is to do the will of him that sent me. To finish his work!

I do not do my own will. I came down from heaven to do the will of him that sent me.

When Christ came into the world he said: 'Sacrifice and offering you did not desire, but you have prepared a body for me. You have no pleasure in burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin.' Then I said: 'I have come in the scroll of the book. It is written about me, to do your will, O God.'

You have not desired sacrifice and meal offering. You have opened my ears. Burnt offering and sin offering you have not required. Then I said: Here I come! In the scroll of the book it is written about me. (Luke 3:21) I am pleased to do your will, O my God; Your Law is within my heart.

For our presentation (exhortation) is not based on error, or of uncleanness, or in deceit. We always speak, as God wants us to. He has judged us worthy to be entrusted with the Good News. We do not try to please people, but to please God, who tests our motives (examines our hearts). You know very well that we did not come to you with flattering talk (praise for selfish gain). We did not use words to cover up greed (insatiable desire for wealth). God is our witness!read more.
We did not try to get praise from anyone, either from you or from others, even though as apostles of Christ we could have made demands on you.

For we are not as the many, corrupting the word of God; but sincere and from God. We speak in Christ in the sight of God.

We make it our aim, whether at home or absent, to be pleasing to him. We must all appear before the judgment-seat of Christ; that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether it is good or bad. We know what it means to respect the Lord so we persuade others. God knows us and I hope that you know us in your hearts (consciences).read more.
We are not again commending ourselves to you. But we are giving you an occasion to be proud of us. That way you may have an answer for those who glory in appearance, and not in heart.

You did well that you share with me in my affliction. You also know, you Philippians, that in the beginning of the good news, when I departed from Macedonia, no other congregation shared their money with me. Only you shared with me. While I was in Thessalonica you provided for my needs twice.read more.
Not that I seek the gift but I seek the fruit that adds to your account. I have all things, and prosper: I am filled, having received from Epaphroditus the things that came from you. It is an odor of a sweet smell, a sacrifice acceptable, well pleasing to God.

If I live in the flesh this will bring fruit from my labor. I do not know what to choose. I am hard pressed between the two. I have the desire to depart and be with Christ for it is far better. Yet to remain in the flesh is more needful for your sake.read more.
Having this confidence, I know that I will remain. Yes, I will remain with you all for your progress and joy in the faith. Let your rejoicing abound in Christ Jesus through my presence with you again.