Living Your Blessed Life (5)

Motivation Matters

Last week we talked about having an open hand mentality when it comes to your blessing. Last week we talked about being a water fountain rather than a cup. The first thing we need to realize is that biblical principles work even if you aren’t a follower of Christ. There are some things that requires a relationship, but there are others, such as money, that doesn’t require the relationship for the principle to work.

Anyone can access the blessing of serving others it’s a universal principle. God didn’t specify this principle strictly to followers of Christ, but understand motivation matters.

1 Thessalonians 1:3 AMP

Recalling unceasingly before our God and Father your work energized by faith and service motivated by love and unwavering hope in [the return of] our Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah).

Service Motivated by Love

Our Motivation may not determine our initial outcome, but will determine our eternity. One of the greatest principles that we need to adopt is this:

Eternity Matters

We are living in a world where we live for now, but we must understand our lives in the view of eternity. We can live for the pleasures of now. In living we can live our easiest life right now, but as close out this series we need to ask ourselves

Is it better for me live the easy life or to live our blessed life.

Matthew 6:33 ESV

But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

What are all these things: Well if we zoom out and look and look at Matthew 6:25-34 We will begin to understand the benefits leaving the easy life and accepting the Blessed life.

Matthew 6:24–34 ESV

“No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money. “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

So all these things = a live without stress or concern.

God says- if you trust me- if your motivation for everything you do is to serve me than I will be faithful to direct everything else. When negative happens you don’t have to worry because I will work it to your good. When you don’t know what to do. I will direct your steps and give you the wisdom you need, but your motivation matters.

So how do we have the right motivation: How can we make sure we aren’t living for self:

Seek God first

God will change your heart over time, but the only way for that to happen is to continually feed into your relationship.

Where you patterns are you motivations will follow.

When you strive to live life for God there will come a time when striving won’t be so hard-it’ll be as easy as living, but when we first start we will constantly be striving to check our motives. We will be striving to check our hearts. But your patterns begin to be habits and when your habits change your motivation changes with it.

Exercise. Typically people start exercising because they want to look a certain way. However, there comes a time during your diet and exercise where you motivation stops being looks and starts being how you feel. No longer are striving to external excellence, but you begin to strive for internal excellence. When you make that switch a lifestyle change becomes not only easier, but driven. You go from pushing a boulder up hill to the boulder coasting down the hill itself.

What you used to struggle with you begin to rejoice in and strive in. Sometimes you have to start with a forced motivation to get to a place of right motivation.

Deuteronomy 30:6 NLT

“The Lord your God will change your heart and the hearts of all your descendants, so that you will love him with all your heart and soul and so you may live!

If you work on your actions God will work on your heart. Start with behaviors and God will change your heart.