The Greatest Treason

     In Murder in the Cathedral, a play by T.S. Eliot that we read in AP English, Thomas Becket, an archbishop in the church in Canterbury, is martyred because he refuses to compromise over a disagreement with the King of England. At the beginning of the play, Thomas faces four temptations. The first temptations concern earthly things, and Thomas easily dismisses them. However, the fourth temptation comes as a surprise. The fourth tempter tempts Thomas with the glory of martyrdom. He tempts Thomas to choose martyrdom because of the glory he could receive rather than the glory God could receive from his death. Thomas says, "The last temptation is the greatest treason: / To do the right deed for the wrong reason."

     Maybe I'm not facing martyrdom at the moment, but this fourth tempter is certainly applicable to my life. One of the easiest temptations to fall into is doing the right things for the wrong reason. As a Christian, I am called to serve because of my love for Christ, not to make myself look good or gain earthly rewards. However, sometimes it is easy to get into a routine of service and forget why I serve. Wade Morris said something as we studied Colossians in Bible study that really stuck with me, "Activity is no substitute for spirituality." This means that going to church, going on mission trips, doing service projects, etc. does not make someone a "good Christian." The motivation behind the action matters as much as the action itself. It's like in 1 Corinthians 13 when Paul says, "If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing." Because the love of God compels us to love and serve other people, we should focus more on what God did for us than what we do for God. When the love of God and the cross of Christ is our central focus, we truly want to obey him. We follow and serve out of love, not out of obligation. For me, this is not always easy. I have to remember why I do what I do. I have to check my motives often to make sure that they are not out of place. When the Holy Spirit convicts me that I have selfish motives, I pray and ask God to transform my heart. I can't fix my motives myself. I've tried. It doesn't work. Only God can change my heart. I praise God for reminding me (through AP English class!) of how important it is to serve with motivations that are pleasing to Him. I know that I don't want to fall into a lifestyle of the greatest treason, doing the right deed for the wrong reason. I don't want to realize at the end of my life that everything I have done has brought glory to me rather than to God.

An Update and a Preview...

Just a quick update since I haven't posted in a while...
I went to Union this weekend for Scholars Weekend, which was so much fun! Before anyone jumps to conclusions though...I HAVE NOT DECIDED WHERE I AM GOING TO COLLEGE FOR SURE YET. Anyway, I got to meet a bunch of really cool people--Union students and professors as well as high school seniors like me. I got to learn more about what Union is all about and get a feel for what going to school there is like. Also, and most importantly as far as scholarship money goes, I interviewed and participated in small group discussions, which were a little nerve racking, but nonetheless, enjoyable. If you don't know much about Union, let me just tell you that Union is awesome! Their Core Values are: Excellence Driven, Christ Centered, People Focused, Future Directed. If you know me, hopefully you know that these values match up pretty well with my life (or at least what I strive for in my life) and my goals. Union truly does reflect these values. They pursue academic excellence (and excellence in all aspects of life) because all truth comes from God and because God calls us to work at everything we do with all our hearts (Col. 3:23). They seek to integrate faith into every classroom, not just theology, because again all truth is God's truth; the more we understand God's truth, the better we can understand God's character. They provide opportunities to serve people, through actual classes and majors as well as through numerous other avenues. They also focus on preparing students for their future vocation by equipping them with the proper knowledge and skills to carry out that vocation successfully while most importantly making an impact for the Kingdom of God. All of these values intertwine beautifully to create an amazing God-glorifying university. Pray for me as I am seeking God to find if this is where He wants to use me and grow me for the next 4+ years.
And a preview of a post I'm working on...
In AP English, we read Murder in the Cathedral by T.S. Eliot. I won't go into detail right now, but this play brings up some great issues that deal with the Christian faith. One of these issues is motives. If someone chooses to do what is right, but for the wrong reasons, are they still doing right? I have a lot to say about this play, and so I'm working on making the upcoming post concise, which is nearly impossible. Hopefully I can finish soon...