WHAT MOTIVATES YOU? | Northstar Church

“The Lord hears his people when they call to him for help. He rescues them from all their troubles. The Lord is close to the brokenhearted; he rescues those whose spirits are crushed. The righteous person faces many troubles, but the Lord comes to the rescue each time. For the Lord protects the bones of the righteous; not one of them is broken!” – Psalm 34:17-20.

What motivates you? What drives you? What gets you out of bed in the morning and gets you going every day? Is it your family, job, goals, or faith?

Many people would describe themselves as driven, but who is driving? Who is in the driving seat? We are all driven by something, but what is more important is who is driving and for what purpose. In the days before his conversion, Saul of Tarsus was already a hard-driving achiever, but the Lord reshaped his motives and what drove him. After he became a Christ follower, Paul remained driven, hardworking, and passionate, but someone else occupied the driver’s seat. “My old self has been crucified with Christ,” Paul wrote, “It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me” (Galatians 2:20).

So what motivates us? The number one motivator that will keep us fighting the good fight, running the race, and serving the Lord with joy and power is to be constantly thinking of how much God loves, delights in, and takes pleasure in us. If we continually remember God’s amazing love toward us, we will be controlled by that love. 2 Corinthians 5:14 tells us, “Either way, Christ’s love controls us. Since we believe that Christ died for all, we also believe that we have all died to our old life.”

His love is our energy, our source of joy, and what delights us in serving. It keeps us focused on what is important. Knowing that God loves us and is always working in our lives is a great daily motivation.

This is why you must fight to remain motivated regardless of what you face. When you are motivated, you do not need constant reminders or follow-up to do what you require.We must choose to keep doing what we know to be good for our business or career, regardless of the challenges we face.

Discussion Questions:

How have the trials you experienced brought you closer to or pushed you further away from God? How have trials affected your faith?
When you read James 1:2-4, it seems like suffering is a major way God produces maturity and perseverance in us. Why do you think trials refine us so well?