As a worship leader, passages like Matthew 6:1-7 give me a significant amount of pause:

“Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven.“Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. “And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. “And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words.

As worship leaders, our role is public by nature. So are there ways we can ensure that our motives are pure? Because only God can see and know our hearts, it is only God who - in His kindness - can reveal to us the places where our motives are out of step with His heart. If we desire pure motives in our leading and serving, we must be people who are attentive to His voice (by His Spirit and through His Word), and be people who are quick to confess our sin to God and to others.

We are incapable of purifying our own motives. But we can (and should) test our motives.

Some questions to consider in testing our motives: What do I want? How do I respond when I don’t get what I want? Why do I react that way? What are the stories I tell myself in the quiet of my own heart and mind?