Paul and the hungry t-rex

The film Jurassic Park ends with a scene in the visitor centre. The protagonists, Alan Grant, Ellie Satler, Lex, and Tim, are cornered by two raptors. It seems like it's all over, as one hungry raptor slowly approaches Alan, its mouth wide open, its 3 fingered hands spread, and its tail in the air. As it pounces, it is caught between the jaws of history's most fearsome predator: The tyrannosaurus rex. The other raptor attacks the rex and also gets killed. The people are saved, and escape with their lives.

Although the outcome of the t-rex's actions was that the survivors escaped certain doom, this was not her intention. She wasn't thinking "oh no, those raptors are going to eat those people", she was thinking "I'm hungry, that raptor looks tasty." The t-rex is not the hero in this scenario, she is just an animal doing what animals do best.

Real life works in the same way. Just as one can have good intentions and do something bad, people can have bad or neutral intentions and do something good. Whatever you do, your intentions matter. In 1 Corinthians 13:3, for example, Paul says feeding the poor just to be able to boast about it is not really worth it. You are like the t-rex: not really interested in the people you help, or the God who wants you to help them, you're just interested in satisfying your own desires.

Whatever you do in your life, make sure your motives are right. Don't do good to impress others, because it won't impress God. Don't do good just to impress God, because He knows your bad deeds too. When you do good, do good because it is pleasing to God. Check your motives.