True Motivation

True motivation

This is pastor tim from Hazard First Baptist with Today’s Good News.

The story is told of a husband and wife who didn't really love each other. The man was very demanding, so much so that he prepared a list of rules and regulations for his wife to follow. He insisted that she read them over every day and obey them to the letter. Among other things, his "do's and don'ts" indicated such details as what time she had to get up in the morning, when his breakfast should be served, and how the housework should be done. After several long years, the husband died. 

As time passed, the woman fell in love with another man, one who dearly loved her. Soon they were married. This husband did everything he could to make his new wife happy, showering her with tokens of his appreciation.

One day as she was cleaning the house, she found tucked away in a drawer the list of commands her first husband had drawn up for her. As she looked it over, it dawned on her that even though her present husband hadn't given her any kind of list, she was doing everything her first husband's list required anyway. She realized she was so devoted to this man that her deepest desire was to please him out of love, not obligation. 

Love is the greatest motivator in our lives. What we do for our spouses, our families and even our friends should be driven by a fierce love that we have for them.

And when it comes to following the Lord, we do not necessarily follow Him because of the 10 commandments, or from just religious principles and laws, we do so because of the great love that He has for us. The apostle John wrote in 1 John 4:19 19 We love Him because He first loved us.

If you hope to have a faithful Christian walk, if you hope to know God more intimately, I encourage you to do one thing, fall in love with the Lord Jesus. Once you do this, you will note a new vibrancy in your life, a new desire to study His Word, to spend time in prayer, these things will not be burdensome, but a delight to be in the presence of the one that loves you.

This has been pastor tim with Today’s Good news.