How do we walk the line of motivation when we don't want to do something, but know it is the right thing? This line of obedience can get quite blurry in life. This is especially true as we navigate life using the Word of God.
This past Sunday, I made a statement about not really wanting people to give money if they were only doing it out of a sense of obligation. A dangerous statement to be sure. One that could easily beg the question: what about obedience to God?
How many times does the Bible give us a command that really we are not all that motivated to do? Love your enemy. Love your neighbor as yourself. Do not think more highly of yourself than you ought. Do not covet. The list goes on and on calling us away from selfishness and self pleasing. So, should we do them anyway out of a sense of obligation or wait until we feel like it?
I actually believe the answer to be neither. I don't think we should do the right thing simply because we "have "to. I also don't think we should wait until we feel like doing the right thing either; our flesh most likely will never get there on at least some things. Somewhere, we have to make the decision to please God and let that become our motivation.
We give, share, go, follow, sacrifice, serve, love, and so on because it pleases God. We should not do these things out of fear or obligation or compulsion or guilt or in trying to punch the right buttons on a vending-machine-god to get the right results. When we do these things of a wrong motive, there is no reward and it does nothing to bring us closer to God or closer to His will.
The Pharisees did everything right. They obeyed completely. Many, if not most, did so with wrong motives and as such were called, "Hypocrites," "White washed tombs," and a "brood of vipers." Not exactly what we should hear from God. The Pharisees who did desire to please God, realized that their obedience was a result of a right heart, not anything else.
Today, if we are doing things for the wrong reasons, it does not matter at all if they are the right things, we are not pleasing God. We can only please God when the heart behind the action is right. Even if we don't feel like doing it: even if it is unnatural for us to do: we do the right thing to please God, not self or anyone else. Our motivation must be Him.
So, yes, we can obey with a right motive even when we don't want to do that specific act. As long as that motive is our love for God.
Back to a previous example: when I tell my daughter to do something she doesn't want to do, she can do it with a right motive (love for me), or a wrong motive (selfish gain, fear, etc.). True it is obedience either way, but one is much better all the way around than the other. Much less painful also.
We do what we do for Him and His glory. That is the right way to approach life. This mindset makes it easier to follow and obey, even in the hard things.
to be continued...
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Sunday Unwind
This is going to be a different post, because, well, it was a different day.
It could be the subject, it could just be one of those days, it could be a number of things, but I never felt "the groove" this morning. It is always tense to deal with the subject of giving and money. It probably shouldn't be as the Bible has much to say on the subject. It always seems to be. Could be it is more on my end then on the other end. Either way, it is what it is. I felt very compelled in my spirit to say what I did this morning. I did receive some good comments and encouraging words after, which, while not necessary, is always nice to hear. :~)
To be honest the whole day had a "plowing" kind of feel. That is natural and normal in the life of a church. Not every day can be "off to the races." That isn't healthy and it isn't real. It was a good day, but just seemed to take a little more effort than some days do. Some Sundays just flow and everything is smooth and feels "in the groove."
Don't get me wrong, I am not disappointed with today by any stretch. There are a couple of technical things that we will work to improve as always. I am just being honest and open. Truth is, those that were there probably felt at least some of it as well, so why be any other way about it?
I did have the privilege of praying with a couple of people. That is always a great honor as a pastor. We said goodbye to three individuals today who have been studying here in the US for the past four months. They will return to Indonesia on Saturday.
Next week, we will continue the "What if...?" series. We also have a couple of people getting baptized, which is one of my favorite things I get to do as a pastor. I am greatly looking forward to next Sunday! It is going to be off the hook!
It could be the subject, it could just be one of those days, it could be a number of things, but I never felt "the groove" this morning. It is always tense to deal with the subject of giving and money. It probably shouldn't be as the Bible has much to say on the subject. It always seems to be. Could be it is more on my end then on the other end. Either way, it is what it is. I felt very compelled in my spirit to say what I did this morning. I did receive some good comments and encouraging words after, which, while not necessary, is always nice to hear. :~)
To be honest the whole day had a "plowing" kind of feel. That is natural and normal in the life of a church. Not every day can be "off to the races." That isn't healthy and it isn't real. It was a good day, but just seemed to take a little more effort than some days do. Some Sundays just flow and everything is smooth and feels "in the groove."
Don't get me wrong, I am not disappointed with today by any stretch. There are a couple of technical things that we will work to improve as always. I am just being honest and open. Truth is, those that were there probably felt at least some of it as well, so why be any other way about it?
I did have the privilege of praying with a couple of people. That is always a great honor as a pastor. We said goodbye to three individuals today who have been studying here in the US for the past four months. They will return to Indonesia on Saturday.
Next week, we will continue the "What if...?" series. We also have a couple of people getting baptized, which is one of my favorite things I get to do as a pastor. I am greatly looking forward to next Sunday! It is going to be off the hook!
Friday, February 20, 2009
Motivation - part 1
Let me ask you a question. It is one question, but I'm going to ask it more than one way...
What keeps you going? What is your motivation? Why do you do what you do each day?
Ultimately our true motivations will determine our actions and our actions will be what we are defined by with others.
What we are on the inside DOES matter. It matters to God. He is who we are trying to please. But is that really WHY we are and WHY we do? Or is there something more to our motives? Do we do the "right things" for our own benefit or because we really do want to please God?
There is a difference between wanting to please God for His sake and wanting to please God for our sake. When my daughter cleans her room for no other reason then she knows I want her to, then she is doing it for my sake. When she cleans her room to butter me up to ask for something, then it is for her sake. Same action, two very different motivations. I just wonder how often we do that with God?
As I read through God's Word I see that if our motivation is correct, then we will do the right things (mostly) and will eventually become known for what we do. That may or may not be positive, depending on the context. Jesus was known for what He did, but there were many that didn't appreciate that at all. This primarily was the religious leaders. His motives were not known, but His actions were. He was judged by His actions. Most saw these actions as good, but many did not.
I know I have opened up some things and not wrapped them up nice and tidy. I have more to say but am going to come back to it in another post or posts. So, until then:
What motivates you?
Thoughts and answers are welcomed.
What keeps you going? What is your motivation? Why do you do what you do each day?
Ultimately our true motivations will determine our actions and our actions will be what we are defined by with others.
What we are on the inside DOES matter. It matters to God. He is who we are trying to please. But is that really WHY we are and WHY we do? Or is there something more to our motives? Do we do the "right things" for our own benefit or because we really do want to please God?
There is a difference between wanting to please God for His sake and wanting to please God for our sake. When my daughter cleans her room for no other reason then she knows I want her to, then she is doing it for my sake. When she cleans her room to butter me up to ask for something, then it is for her sake. Same action, two very different motivations. I just wonder how often we do that with God?
As I read through God's Word I see that if our motivation is correct, then we will do the right things (mostly) and will eventually become known for what we do. That may or may not be positive, depending on the context. Jesus was known for what He did, but there were many that didn't appreciate that at all. This primarily was the religious leaders. His motives were not known, but His actions were. He was judged by His actions. Most saw these actions as good, but many did not.
I know I have opened up some things and not wrapped them up nice and tidy. I have more to say but am going to come back to it in another post or posts. So, until then:
What motivates you?
Thoughts and answers are welcomed.
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
A few thoughts
I've got that random feeling again today...
I've been reading some incredible blog posts lately, here's a couple to check out:
I played racquetball yesterday. Have really regained my enjoyment of that sport and am less sore after each time I play. However, I did hit my left hand with my racquet once when I missed a shot. Sliced my finger right open and ripped part of the nail off. That was not the way I wanted to take a break. We did play two or three more games after that. It is not throbbing much today, thankfully.
My wife and I started the South Beach diet again yesterday. I lost 50 pounds on it a couple of years ago and have kept off all but 15 of it. I want to lose that 15 again and maybe 15 more. I'm not allowed to say much about my wife's results and goals, but she is serious right now, I can tell you that.
I woke up this morning with the old song by Greg Volz, "The Exodus", running through my mind. Specifically the line from Exodus 15, "The Lord is my strength and song, He is become my salvation... my Father's God and I will exalt Him." It has just been there in my mind today. In fact, I'm listening to that song on my iTunes right now. It is also a great thought to carry us through our day. When He is my strength and song and salvation, it is not about me and I can focus on exalting Him and not myself, my agenda, my ideas, or my way.
I've been reading some incredible blog posts lately, here's a couple to check out:
- Ben gives a quick encouragement on living life here
- Mark has a great post on trusting God here
- Steven has a good word on being mindful of what is happening in our lives here
- Carey speaks here about clarity
- ...and Dave discusses friendship here
I played racquetball yesterday. Have really regained my enjoyment of that sport and am less sore after each time I play. However, I did hit my left hand with my racquet once when I missed a shot. Sliced my finger right open and ripped part of the nail off. That was not the way I wanted to take a break. We did play two or three more games after that. It is not throbbing much today, thankfully.
My wife and I started the South Beach diet again yesterday. I lost 50 pounds on it a couple of years ago and have kept off all but 15 of it. I want to lose that 15 again and maybe 15 more. I'm not allowed to say much about my wife's results and goals, but she is serious right now, I can tell you that.
I woke up this morning with the old song by Greg Volz, "The Exodus", running through my mind. Specifically the line from Exodus 15, "The Lord is my strength and song, He is become my salvation... my Father's God and I will exalt Him." It has just been there in my mind today. In fact, I'm listening to that song on my iTunes right now. It is also a great thought to carry us through our day. When He is my strength and song and salvation, it is not about me and I can focus on exalting Him and not myself, my agenda, my ideas, or my way.
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Sunday Night Unwind
AWESOME! AWESOME! AWESOME!
I really felt "in the groove" this morning as we kicked off the series "What if..." this morning. God was speaking and moving as only He can. The vibe and energy in the room were, to borrow the phrase, OFF THE HOOK! There is no end to the possibilities if we really would live our lives actually believing the words of Jesus in John 14. He promised that if we lived by faith we would do the same kinds of things He did, and even greater things. What an incredible thought!
We are going to start offering our sermons as a podcast. I have already uploaded today's sermon here. We will be working out some glitches and the actual host site name may change, but the link on the main website will always be updated. Also, you can listen online or download it into iTunes by clicking the sunbscribe link on the page. This works easily for both Mac and PC. We are working on this to be as compatible as possible and will be improving it more all the time. Thank you for your patience as we work out the kinks and issues.
Elena sang a song this morning that was written by some youth in Steubenville a couple of years ago. She rocked it. I love her voice and the power and passion she puts into her singing. It was the first time many in the church heard her sing, very cool response. Sorry, I like to brag on my wife, she deserves it.
After service, Elena hosted an open house for the ladies of the church at our house. She said it was a very good turn out and a lot of fun. She also wants to convey her thanks for all those who came and for the very nice expressions and gifts. She cooked and prepared for 12 hours or so yesterday. I say she is insane when she is getting ready for a party, but she loves it. The food was incredible. I had to check it out first of course, and then I had to help "clean up." :~)
Due to the number of females in the house, I was no where near here this afternoon. So, I took the girls out for a daddy/daughters' date. We went to Bravo's for lunch. (Bre lost a front tooth in the middle of the meal which is always exciting.) Then we went to the church and hung out for a little while. We played some pool and ping pong. Before coming home, we hit the Chocolate Café for dessert. Yummy to say the least. We arrived to find that our house was still not quite empty. The ladies were having way too much fun.
It's getting late, until...
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