1 Corinthians 9

Paul, having just addressed stumbling blocks and putting aside one's rights in love to others, states his rights as an apostle. He said that as a preacher of the gospel, he basically had the right to receive support from the ones who received his message. After laying out his rights and the Biblical basis for those rights, he stated that his intent was not to claim those rights, but that he had purposely given them up so no one could say his motivation for preaching was financial. Even though he was not beholden to any, he preached to all at their level without compromising his own values.

Motives are often scrutinized when evaluating what others are saying. Knowing this, we need to make sure when we witness to others, our motives are clear; first in our own minds, and second in the minds of others. If we are motivated by anything other than love, our witness is compromised - both in the eyes of God and the person we are trying to reach.We need to make sure we work with transparency so that our love is evident and there is no trace of any ulterior motive.