WHAT MOTIVATES YOU?

 Philippines trip update: Just over two weeks now before departure. I am getting a bit nervous. This morning we had our last team meeting to get some last minute details. I am continuing my lesson preparation and praying for the trip and those involved. Please pray with me.
-finances for the trip
-preparation of lesson plans and reading I need to get done
-good health, strength and daily stamina in the heat 
-flight connections, travel safety, stamina for long flight 
-physical safety in Philippines and safe in country travel 
-perseverance, clear thinking, and wisdom in classes 
-Pastors to be receptive, encouraged, built up in faith 
-that I can be a rich blessing to these Pastors 
-that I can grow spiritually, in humility and love 
-unity and fellowship for our team 


Christians are motivated for service for different reasons. Let me mention four.
1) Fear: Some of us came to Christ because we feared going to hell and were motivated in our service to God by the fear of God's punishment if we did not obey Him. Not everyone goes through this stage of fear but some do and some remain under this motivation much to long. In fear we operate in our own strength and work very hard to be accepted by God and to serve Him. Discouragement and failure is common. There is little peace and joy when we are motivated to live and act for God in fear.
2) Duty: There is a service motivated by duty. Many Christians find themselves in this category of motivation. This is a master/servant relationship. Sometimes this can become a legalistic motivation, a focus on commandments, and rules, and church obligations, and religious custom; a legal-righteousness concerned with law more than life, a concern with not touching the leper and keeping the Sabbath. Where fear was motivated by emotion, duty is motivated by logic and rewards for obedience. Duty can become hard and inflexible labor in the name of Jesus Christ. It can become harsh when challenged and judgemental to those not in compliance.
3) Selfish ambition: We can allow the flesh to rule our service so that we seek position, attention, praise, prosperity, and reputation. Paul warns against this in Philippians 2.1-11, see also 1.15,17.

4) Love: The highest motivation for Christian service is love, a love that is energized by knowing the Father's love for us, knowing the depths of His love in His grace to us in Jesus Christ. "The love of God controls us" Paul says in 2 Corinthians 5.14. Obedience from the heart. Obedience that knows and has experienced the loving heart of God and is filled with sacrificial gratitude, humbled to serve with all its powers, a God of love because He first loved us. Where duty serves a master as master, here love abandons itself, and all it has in complete trust to the love of God and then loves others without calculations, unconditionally and sacrificially. God is seeking to bring all of us to this place of unconditional surrender to His all sufficient Love.

If you are interested in doing a short study through the motivation of Peter's life, look at the following verses. Luke 5.1-11 (fear), John 6.66-69 (duty), John 21.15-17 (love which needs to be deepened), Galatians 2.11-14 (default to fear and legalism and flesh).

May our Father take us deeper into His love as the motivation for our service.