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.