Clay in the Hands

I woke up last night and could not go back to sleep.  I tossed and turned for about 2 hours and finally gave up and just got up.  I think part of my problem was all the things running through my head – all the plans and ideas I have to do great things for God’s Kingdom.  But as I lay there thinking and praying, I began to question my motivation.  I tend to be a dreamer in some regards which is not a bad thing but one of the things I am always cautious of is the motivation behind my dreams and aspirations.

Motivation is an important, if not crucial, element to life – any life.  Without motivation we would not get out of bed in the morning.  There would be no sense of purpose.  Now understand, motivation can be external – someone else telling us “You better do this or that.”  Or it can come from within.  It is this inner motivation I am talking about.

It is vitally important to make sure, as a follower of Jesus, that our motivation to do great things comes from a desire to serve Jesus and others and not ourselves.  As long as our motivation is purely and humbly grounded in serving Jesus and pleasing God, then all the other things we are concerned about will either be taken care of or merely fade into irrelevance.

So what motivates you today?  I challenge you to pray for God to search your heart – that place so deep inside that only you and God know it – ask God to search you there and reveal to you areas that may not be operating out of pure motives.  The Kingdom will be furthered and you will be blessed in the process.