What Motivates You?

This post was written by our Equipping Pastor, Rick E Moore

What “motivates” me?

I LOVE Leadership! Leadership talks, books, principles ideas and discussions!  On this past Monday, a host of leaders came to Providence, RI to put together a conference called, “Get Motivated”.  I wish I could have gone but since I’m leaving for Atlanta this week for another leadership conference I couldn’t do both.  I was driving on I-95 late in the morning on Monday, on my way to meet with a person, thinking about the idea of “motivation”.  What motivates me?  What is it that really gets me up and out of bed in the morning?  What motivates me to love my wife and my kids on a daily basis?  What is it inside of me that keeps me motivated?

It truly is the realization that a GOD like none other laid down HIS life for me.  Think about that – GOD left heaven, became human in form to give up HIS life for me.  Why – Why would GOD do this?  What motivated GOD to give up all HE knew to become flesh, then to die a criminal’s death on a Roman cross for me – but yet not just for me but for the whole world – it was LOVE.  It’s that love that motivates me to love HIM, my wife, my kids and the people around me.  I’m far from where I need to be but HIS LOVE is at the heart of what motivates me!

I’m writing this after meeting with the guy mentioned above, a single father who has a life threatening blood disease.  As I walked back to my car I realized that I was excited!  I felt “motivated”.  I thought to myself, why do I feel so excited?  I realized that this love that GOD gave me for people excites me as I listen and see GOD’s transforming power at work in their life.  I have become close to this relatively young man over the past couple of years.  As I talked with him today and think back to where he was just a few short years ago, I can’t help but see the life transforming power of GOD’s love.  In just a few short years GOD has taken this man and has helped him break through the power of the past, the power of perceptions and the power of relationships and turn them into a truly beautiful thing.  This “motivates” me!

After being married for 23 years and with four children, I know feelings and emotions come and go.  I know at different stages of life we are motivated by different things but there truly is a “motivation” that comes from within that will never leave me or be lost in feelings or emotion.  It’s the love that comes from GOD.  It’s the anchor of my life.  If you are reading this, it is my hope that you would understand this type of love – God’s love.  It will set you free and give you something to be motivated about the rest of your life! 1 John 4:10 (NLT) This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.