Motivation- Finding my Joy again

We all make countless decisions throughout the day.  We make conscious decisions and subconscious decisions. Most of the time, we aren’t even aware of the decisions that we are making. Some decisions are easier: what to wear, how to do our hair, what to eat. (Although, all three of those decisions can be very difficult at times!) Some decisions are harder. The real question is: what is your motivation behind every decision you make?  Our decisions affect our actions, which ultimately affect those around us. 

 We've all heard 1 Corinthians 13, The Love Chapter,  many times. In fact, if you watched The Office last week, you heard part of it there! The first few verses talk about how it doesn't matter what we do, what we say, or how we think if we don't have love. If love is not our motivation behind all of it, it’s all meaningless.  

 In my own Christian walk, I’ve found it overwhelming to keep track of all the things I am supposed to do, things I am not supposed to do, how I am supposed to act, think, and conduct myself. Over and over, the bible lists instructions on how we are to live.  There's so much, I have a hard time keeping track! 

 2 Timothy 2:16- "Avoid godless chatter, because those who indulge in it will become more and more ungodly"

 2 Timothy 2:22-24 "Flee the evil desires of youth and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart. Don't have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels. And the Lord's servant must not be quarrelsome, but must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful."

 That's only four verses within one chapter! First of all, this emphasizes the need to have a daily time in God's word so that we can continue to study and attempt to soak in how to live a Godly life.  At times, I’ve given up. Not completely, but enough to where my lack of attempt at keeping track of it all has led to distance from God and bad decisions. I didn’t have a come to Jesus moment. I had a series of realizations that I was making bad decisions that left me hurt and angry all the time. That is NOT the life that God has for us.

 One of my favorite quotes is this from Frederick Buechner -
"Joy is the capacity to hear the name and to recognize that God is here. There’s a kind of exhilaration because God is doing something and, even in a little way, it’s enough at the moment"

 I had lost the joy that I had once found in knowing that God was working. I didn’t know if God was working, because I wasn’t letting him.  Continual connection with God produces habits of intimacy with him. Unfortunately, no matter how hard we try, we will never live perfectly and we will never be able to grasp and put into practice every single thing that we learn about how to live in the bible. We are sinners and we fall short.  However, Jesus plainly states to us in Matthew that if we love God and love others, we will cover all of the commandments. 

 In anything you attempt in life, keep love as your motivation. When I feel weak and completely incapable of doing what I feel God calling me to do, that is when God does his best work.  His power is made perfect through my weaknesses.  All I have to do is trust and love. "For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love, and self-discipline." (2 Timothy 1:7). 

 When love is our motivation, it gets rid of the possibility of anything else (greed, physical gain, financial gain...etc) being our motivation. When our motivation is right, our actions and our thoughts will honor God. When love is our motivation, our intimacy with God increases exponentially. I LOVE the line in the new Hillsong song “Oceans” that says “Spirit, lead me where my trust is without borders.” Intimacy with God creates that trust and that is EXACTLY where God wants us living, trusting Him without any reservations or borders.

If you’re stuck in a rut and you can’t seem to find God.  You feel distant and cannot seem to figure out how to get back to that life you knew where you found unexplainable joy and abundant spirit filled life. Look at the decisions, big and little, that you are making every day. Is love your motivation?