WHAT ARE WE HOPING TO GET OUT OF IT ALL?

Greetings in the name of Jesus:



 WHAT MOTIVATES YOU TO LOVE GOD?
 That is a pretty straightforward question, but sometimes it does not come with a straightforward answer.   One of the main things that an actor must have in order to play a part effectively is an understanding of what motivates them to bring out an emotion that will allow them to mimic a feeling on screen or on stage that leads people to believe the storyline is true enough to get emotionally involved in the production.  For those who can do that the performance is a success.

  In our world today it has become very evident that there are many who are planted in our midst who are not motivated by their genuine love for God, but by a completely unattached set of motivations.  We can see this pop through from time to time in what is said by someone and then what we see them do later that same day.  In this final discussion for this week of discipleship, we need to delve into the false emotion that is so often brought into our worship and service to God.   We can deal with all kinds of false emotion from being lukewarm about our relationship with God to that of being outright weeds planted in the midst of the harvest of God's field of service.  It is the attitude with which we enter into the service of God in any capacity that matters the most.  If the motivation is not centered in Christ alone the service we offer is not true.  Jesus said that in order for us to be considered kings we must, first of all, become servants.  We must take a look at what the attitude of a servant really is by starting with Matthew 23:8-12 finds Jesus telling the disciples that they should not think of themselves as teachers or as leaders, but as servants first of all.  Right after that Jesus began to address those who had held the position within the Synagogue as teachers of the law as hypocrites who had closed the doors of the Kingdom of God to the average man, and who had not even entered that Kingdom themselves.  It was painfully plain that their motivation was not to serve God but to serve self.

 Today the same problem exists with many who say they love God and yet their actions are speaking an entirely different thing.  Have you ever heard the term " what you do speaks so loudly that people cannot hear what you say"?  In truth that was said by Jesus in Matthew 11:2-5. Right after that in Matthew 12:33-35 Jesus spoke of the tree being known by its fruit, which is saying the same kind of thing in a different way.  The point is that we cannot act our way through a relationship with Christ, and even though we may be able to fool all of the people that are around us by the things we say, at some point, our heart and actions will show forth the truth of what we are proclaiming in life.
  The truth will eventually come tumbling out at just the wrong time for those who are faking their love for God, and we can see their true intent of heart. Scripture has warned us that everything that is hidden will at some point be revealed.

 I heard someone say at one point in my life that no one does anything without an idea of getting something out of it.  I don't argue that point but I can argue the intent behind what we do.  Jesus has already told us that " even the sinners love those who love them"  People can easily do good for those who do good to them; they repay debts when others lend them something...usually with some kind of profit made. God's point is that we must enter into our relationship with Him understanding that He will not accept anything deceitful from us.  This is one of the main reasons that we find ourselves going through this life. God requires to know where we stand in our heart with Him; what our true motives are in our proclamation of love for Him.  This can be seen by all of us as we see the true fruits of our relationship with God by how we relate to those around us.  I hope to receive what God has promised for those who really serve Him our of a grateful and loving heart for what He has already done for us.  May you richly bless God through your life in Him.



THE UNWORTHY SERVANT