Pleasing God, Making Disciples of Jesus Christ

Two Motivators to Get Out of Bed

PSALM 25:10 – All the paths of the Lord are steadfast love and faithfulness, for those who keep his covenant and his testimonies.”

 

THEME OF THE DAY:  TWO MOTIVATORS TO GET OUT OF BED. Okay. I will admit there are more than two motivators to get out of bed each morning. Obviously, the first one is we have to do so.  No one lives life under the covers!  Next, we have vocational and domestic responsibilities that must be fulfilled.  I mean, we can’t just pull the blanket up to our shoulders and say, “World, just go on without me today, and maybe tomorrow I will get up.”  But for the Christian there are other motivators to get up and engage life.  We are on a mission; a gospel mission to the world requiring our going into the world.  (Matthew 28:18-20). We are called to be a serving people to God’s people – For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery. For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another (Galatians 5:1, 13). But we need more.  We will not be sustained by the motivators of obligation or the personal resolve within ourselves.  We need motivators outside ourselves and they are found in today’s scripture.

 

The first motivator to get us up and going into the world living the Christian life of service is the steadfast love of the Lord.  It is the energy and power for the Christian life.  The Apostle Paul would define the love of Christ, the steadfast love of Christ, as the controlling factor in his life – For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died; and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised (2 Corinthians 5:14-15).  The more we meditate and marvel over God’s love for us, the more we, like Paul, will know this experience of living under the control of Christ’s love.  The result will be a renewed energy and motivation to get up each morning to walk in the path of the Lord’s steadfast love.

 

A second motivator causing us to throw back the blanket and hit the day running with joy and purpose is the faithfulness of God.  How is this a motivator?  We will remember God’s faithfulness to continue His work He began in us to make us like Jesus (Philippians 1:6). We will see every situation, circumstance, and relationship through this lens enabling us to gladly submit to all, even the difficult ones.  His faithfulness to strengthen and teach us despite our failings, will motivate us to keep on the path He has laid out for us.

 

We have a lot of good reasons and motivators to rise each morning and live out the Christian life. None more empowering than the steadfast love and faithfulness of the Lord.

 

PRAYER: “Father, I praise You that today and each day of my life is lived guided by Your steadfast love and faithfulness.”

 

QUOTE: “We walk through life led by God’s steadfast love and faithfulness, guaranteeing our safe arrival in heaven.”

 

In the affection of Christ Jesus,

 

Pastor Jim