We begin today’s message with a few questions. Ready? Here we go: What drives your life? What motivates you to keep going? What are your dreams? Who do you live for? Why do you live? What food satisfies you—in other words, what do you seek most in order to feel full, to feel complete? What gives you energy? Really stop and think about this. Reflect on how you have been living.
Jesus’ main goal in life was to do the Father’s will. That was what satisfied his soul and what drove and motivated him to continue: fulfilling his mission. How sad it would be if the reason for our existence were to acquire things, titles and land, since all of these are temporary. It saddens me to say that most people today live driven by the most trivial, unimportant, disposable and fleeting things. Some also live under the illusion that they have control or power over other people’s lives. They are driven by fear, feelings of inferiority, greed and a desire for power. Others are driven by a search for love, validation and acceptance, seeking recognition in what they do or in their relationships.
“Jesus said to them: My food is to do the will of the one who sent me and to complete his work.” John 4:32
The motivation behind what you do directly influences how you will do it. Often you want to do certain things well, but if your motivation is wrong, you will do them poorly or even give up along the way, without understanding why. Have you thought about the many things you have started and not finished? Or the many things you finished because you are focused or wanted them so badly, only to feel empty afterwards and quickly begin looking for a new achievement without even enjoying the previous one? It is never enough.
In general, wrong motives displease God’s heart. For example, if someone is doing good for a person who is about to die, motivated by the hope of receiving something in the will rather than by love, everything others might see as kindness will appear as opportunism in God’s eyes. God cannot be deceived; he sees everyone and knows everything. So I ask: Why do you do what you do? Who do you do it for?
While we endlessly seek to satisfy our own desires and wishes, the soul is never satisfied. There is no peace or true joy, only excitement and pleasant feelings at the moment we experience something we want. It is different when we seek God’s will and live for his purpose, giving up our own wishes with the right motivation: pleasing him. Then we experience the peace that surpasses all understanding and live in true joy.
As God’s children and his worshippers, we must pay the price of obedience, whatever it costs. On this path we will often need to surrender our own desires and wishes. However difficult that moment of surrender may be, peace comes, and the results are the fruits of the Spirit being formed in us and joy in God’s heart. My advice is not simply to remove bad things and wrong motives for living or acting, but to put God’s will in their place as the main nourishment of your soul. Make God’s will your greatest goal, asking the Holy Spirit to guide you at every step. Shall we pray?
“Father of love and goodness, forgive me for every wrong motivation, goal and purpose in living, doing and achieving. Purify my heart. Show me what needs to be removed and what needs to be aligned with your will. Forgive me for all the times I wanted you simply to bless my choices and wishes without seeking your will. Today I recognise that what matters most is living to do what you, LORD, want. For one day I placed my life in your hands, and I am only passing through this earth. I do not want to live for the wrong reason or waste my days selfishly satisfying myself with what I believe is best. I ask you to make my purpose in life so clear in my mind that I can quickly recognise when something does not align with what you, LORD, require of me. I love you; help me to obey you. In the name of Yeshua, amen.”
Pastor Andressa Priscila Baumgartner
