What is it that motivates us to serve the Lord? What causes us to use our time, talents and treasure here at Crossroads and beyond? What enables us to put Christ first in our lives?
Let’s be honest: Sometimes we serve the Lord with the wrong motivation. Sometimes we do what we do for what Jesus called “the praise of men”, to be noticed and appreciated by other people, out of guilt or obligation or we expect it will benefit us in this life and beyond.
Juan Ortiz, a pastor in Argentina, described a student in his congregation who always seemed to be so busy.
Every time we approached him about something, he’d say, “Oh, excuse me, pastor, but I have no time. I’m studying and I’m also working eight hours a day. So you can imagine how I can’t do anything more than that. I can make the meetings once a week, but the rest of the time, I’m occupied.” Then one day he fell in love. Suddenly he had time to visit his girlfriend three or four times a week. How did he do it? I don’t know. Love did it.
The Scripture describes it perfectly! “We love because he [Christ] first loved us” (1 John 4:19). The Scripture is also correct when it proclaims that the greatest gift is love. But how does that translate into the practical reality of everyday living?
Here’s how: What we love, we place importance upon. What we love, we take care of. What we love, we nurture and cultivate. What we love, we protect. What we love, we give our time, attention and resources to. What we love (or really, whom we love), we obey.
In his book, Love in Action, Dr. David Jeremiah states,
Love insists we do something. Feelings follow action. Feelings are the fruit, not the root, of love. If you give your enemy something to eat or drink, something happens to your feelings. When you invest yourself in someone, you begin to feel differently toward him or her.
You see, it’s one thing to sing, “I love you, Lord, and I lift my voice to worship you, O my soul rejoice.” It’s entirely another to put that love into action by serving the Lord here at Crossroads Church and where we live. It’s one thing to sing, “My Jesus, I Love Thee.” It’s entirely another to demonstrate that love through serving others in Christ’s behalf. It’s what one pastor described as “talking further down the road than we are walking.”
What motivates people to become devoted followers of Jesus Christ? Paul’s answer: “Christ’s love has moved me to such extremes” (The Message) “For the love of Christ controls us, because we are convinced that one has died for all;….” (RSV), and “For Christ’s love compels us … that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.” (NIV) [II Corinthians 5:14f]. What motivates us? Love in response to LOVE!