Motivation for Commitment
Have you never noticed motivation can be a real problem? I know I need to lose some weight, I’ll start next Monday. I know the grass needs to be mowed, I’ll do it tomorrow. I know the house needs to be painted, I’ll do that this spring. I know the Sunday school teachers need help, I’ll help next quarter. Some times motivation can be a real problem. The same is true in our lives as Christians! We sometimes get burdened down with what’s going on around us, and then when God call us to Commitment, the motivation is sometimes hard to come by. This morning we will be looking at motivation, and what we as Christian can do in order to have that total Commitment to God.
I. MOTIVATION THROUGH MEDITATION
When I say the word “meditation”, I know some of you are thinking about some far out Eastern Religion or something. I also know some of you are sitting there saying, but Chris, I can’t do meditation, my body isn’t very flexible! I know and that’s okay. It’s okay because meditation doesn’t require your body to be flexible, the only thing it requires is for your life to be flexible! What is your life supposed to be flexible to? It’s to be flexible to God’s call and His will for your life! And what is that call for you life, it’s a CALL TO COMMITMENT! The simple fact of the matter is that meditation for the Christian, is the ability to hear God’s voice and do what He says! (In Psalm 119:15 David writes “I meditate on your precepts and consider your ways, 119:23... your servant will meditate on your decrees, 119:27...I will meditate on your wonders, 119:99... I meditate on your statutes, in 119:148... I meditate on your promises.”) Meditation means hearing Gods voice and listening to what He has to say!
Poem: Once there was a man who dared God to speak. Burn the bush like you did for Moses, God and I will follow. Collapse the walls like you did for Joshua, God and I will fight. Still the waters like you did on Galilee, God and I will listen. And so the man sat by a bush, near a wall, close to the sea, and waited for God to speak.
And God heard the man, so God answered. He sent fire, not from a bush, but for a church. He brought down a wall, not of brick, but of sin. He stilled a storm, not of the sea, but of a soul.
And God waited for the man to respond. And he waited.. And he waited.. And waited. But the man was looking at bushes, not hearts; bricks and not lives, seas and not souls, he decided that had done nothing.
Finally he looked to God and asked, Have you lost your power? And God looked at him and said, Have you lost your hearing?
Some times the hustle and bustle of life keeps us from hearing God’s voice. The kids need to be picked up from school, laundry has to be done and dinner won’t make itself. But in the midst of the hustle and bustle, God is calling us to be motivated, he is pleading with us to meditate on His word and obey His commands. So how do we get this done? I’m glad you asked!
II. MOTIVATION THROUGH PRAYER
When life is at it’s most difficult, remember you can always turn to prayer. When you can’t hear God’s voice, because of all the noise in you busy life, you can always turn to prayer. When you can’t see the light at the end of the tunnel, you can always turn to prayer. Jesus before his arrest went away and he prayed! You see meditation and prayer go hand in hand. It’s like making a sandwich, if I were to say Peanut Butter, you would say jelly. The same is true with prayer and meditation. (Phip 4:6-7 says, Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.) When times are tuff, we need go away and have some quiet time with God, weather it’s at home or in the car, at the office on a lunch break or wear ever it may be. We need to pray to Him, and ask Him for His peace and strength, ask for guidance and direction for our lives. We need to thank Him for His unfailing love and for His amazing grace! We need to ask God to motivate our lives and help bring us to a deeper commitment to Him! We need to like Paul said in Romans 12:12 “Faithful in Prayer”. The question I have this morning, is How is your Prayer Life? If we really want to see things change, we need to get on our knees! If this doesn’t start to get you motivated, I don’t know if anything will, but we will give it a try.
III. MOTIVATION THROUGH STUDY
I know some of you are saying, Chris, I’m out of school, why do I need to study? Well the reason we study is so we can be prepared when God calls us for service, so we can be encouraged by God’s faithfulness, so we can find motivation for that total commitment in our lives. (Col 3:16 says, Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.) The only way the word of Christ can dwell in you, is if you study it! (Jas 1:22 says, Do not merely listen to the word and so deceive yourselves, but rather do what it says!) Many times in my life, I have heard God’s word calling me, but many times I have tried to deceive myself, I have tried to tell myself it’s not that important, but in the back of my mind, I know it is! (Heb 4:12 says, The word of God is living and active, sharper than any double edged sword, it penetrates to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow, it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.) You see the word of God has the ability to change and transform lives, it has the ability to take ordinary people and leads them to do extra ordinary things. I not only talking about those around us, because it can also change us, if we will let it! If we will get into the word and study for ourselves, I think we will find the motivation we are desperately seeking for!
Conclusion
(Rom.8:37-39 states, No, in all things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither life nor death, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.) You see the only thing that can separate us from Christ, is us! When we refuse to hear, listen and obey God’s path for our life. When we refuse to spend time in prayer, having that time of communion with the Father. When we refuse to study and grow and learn and apply His word to our lives, then and only then are we separate from God’s will for our lives. So this morning the question remains: How is your motivation? The old song of the church is not, “I surrender some”, but rather I surrender all”!
