Motivation for leading and living

As I have been reading through the Bible this year one idea keeps popping up. It has to do with motivation - both how I motivate myself and how I motivate others. In our readings today I came across it again. Let me explain.

In 1 Peter 5, Peter is giving counsel to elders. In verse 2 he says, "shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you, not for shameful gain, but eagerly;..."

Here Peter touches on motivation for exercising oversight as an elder. And what is that motivation to be? He says not to lead "out of compulsion but willingly". That is the biblical motivation that I keep running up against throughout the Bible. Motivation for leading and for living is to come, not from some external source, but from the inside, from our heart.

Paul uses a similar motivation in the book of Philemon. He says he could command Philemon to do what he wants - after all he is the apostle Paul. He has authority. But Paul does not want him to be motivated from the outside. He actually wants him to be motivated from the heart - actually from love.

I think Peter has the same thing in mind. He wants elders to lead not for some reason outside themselves - say, because other people expect or require them to do so, but instead Peter wants them lead willingly, from the heart.

But having said that he wants them to be motivated from the inside, he goes on to say that the internal motviation needs to be right as well. Peter say, "...not for shameful gain, but eagerly...." With these words he suggests that a leader could be motivated to lead by an inward desire to get something from it. In this case it seems that leaders could be motivated by monetary gain. Peter says that that is not an appropriate inner motivation.

It is in fact that motivation that ruined Israel. In Micah's prophecy in the 11th verse he states, "Its heads give judgments for a bribe; its priests teach for a price; its prophets practice divination for money;...." It seemed all the leaders has one motivation - it was profit, and because their motive was self-grasping they were leading the nation down the path to judgment and destruction.

Instead our motive for leading, and in fact living the Christian life, must be the internal compulsion of love. That is the only one that is pleasing to God and that will be beneficial for our lives and the lives of those around us.

Have you thought about what motivates you these days? Is is something external to you? Is someone putting pressure on you to do certain things? The way you might know this is true is to ask yourself the question if you would continue doing the things you are doing if that person was no longer around. This is an important point for parents in that we must teach our children to "behave" not because of our external control of them, but because they have learned to respond from the heart.

And if we are internally motivated, is our motivation pure and self-giving? It is too easy to be motivated by our self-grasping nature. We might lead so that we gain power or prestige in the eyes of others. Such motivation never benefits oneself or those who serve.

As you consider your life today, and your leadership, if God has so placed you, ....consider from where your motivation comes, and of what character it is. It is best to be motivated by the purity of your love for the Lord and His people. That will be for your good and the good of those whom you serve.

A prayer to keep you from falling

In our reading today we were confronted with examples and warning regarding "falling away". First in 2 Kings 21 we were introduced to the life of Manasseh. Manasseh was the son of the good king, Hezekiah, but unfortunately he did not follow in his father's footsteps. In fact, all the reforms his father initiated, Manasseh turned around. In fact, God's assessment of Manasseh is as bleak as it could be. In verse 9 it says, "But they did not listen, and Manasseh led them astray to do more evil than the nations had done whom the Lord destroyed before the people of Israel." Can you imagine that? The Lord declares that one of the kings of his people led them astray to do more evil than the nations the Lord had driven away. That is a far and deep fall from the Lord's intentions for His people.

As we look into the book of Hebrews, chapter 3, we are given a warning. In verses 7ff, the author warns, "Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion, on the day of testing in the wilderness, where your fathers put me to the test and saw my works for forty years. Therefore I was provoked with that generation, and said, 'They always go astray in their hearts; they have not know my ways.' As I swore in my wrath, 'They shall not enter my rest.'" The author concludes with these words, "Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God."

Finally, in the book of Hosea, the 14th chapter we have this exhortation. "Return, O Israel, to the Lord your God, for you have stumbled because of your iniquity. Take with you words and return to the Lord;..." This sentiment is seen throughout the book. Israel had fallen from its privileged position and the prophet was calling them to return.

How prominent are these kinds of words in the Scripture! God's people have been so prone to wander. Is there any hope?

We pick up at least two helps for the wandering heart. The first is to daily say the prayer found at the end of Psalm 139. "Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!"

This God, who is so intimately acquainted knows our hearts. There is nothing hidden from Him. It makes sense that we ask the Lord to reveal to us what we may not see. The Lord sees those seeds of "falling away" and He is able to bring things into our lives to show us that they are there. Often in those trying times, God shows us those "hurtful ways" and if we remain tender to Him and rely on His grace, we can dig them out before they take root.

A second aid to avoid falling away is folow the counsel of Hebrews 3:13. "But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called 'today', that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin." This means that we must be committed to community with God's people, and not just "hanging out" with others, but speaking into their lives. For when we speak into the lives of others we will be speaking into our own lives as well.

Brothers and sisters, Christ lives in us through His Spirit. He is strong and powerful enough to show us those hurtful ways and to lead us into His way everlasting. May we pursue with His help all that He intends for us individual and as a people.

The "Logic" of Prayer

In 2 Kings 19 Hezekiah was faced with a distressful situation. Assyrian leadership was threatening to take them out. They had been successful in taking out nation after nation and were now claiming they'd do the same with Israel unless they cooperated.

When Hezekiah heard this message, what would he do? Would he seek to make an alliance with another nation, say Egypt, to ward off this threat? Would he try to pay off the Assyrians as was common practice? Would he use his superior intellect and think of a way out of this predicament?

In this instance Hezekiah did the best thing. He tore his clothes (a sign of humbling himself before God), went into the house of the Lord, sent messengers to seek the prayers of the prophet Isaiah, and lifted his own voice in prayer. Confronted with a most dire situations, Hezekiah prayed. Does that make sense? Isn't prayer just an excuse for inaction?

Actually prayer is the most "logical" thing to do. When you consider who God is, when you consider what He has done, it makes the most sense to look to Him in times of distress (actually at all times.) That's why Hezekiah prayed.

In 2 Kings 19:15 he starts off his own prayer acknowledging who this God is. He said, "O Lord, God of Israel, enthroned above the cherubim, you are the God, you alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth; you have made heaven and earth." Not only does Hezekiah acknowledge who God is but he also declares the truth about the gods of the other nations. He says in 19:17-18, "Truly, O Lord, the kings of Assyria have laid waste the nations and their lands and have cast their gods into the fire, for they were not gods, but the work of men's hands, woood and stone. Therefore they were destroyed."

A similar thought is found is Psalm 135 (4th column readers). The psalmist said, "The idols of the nations are silver and gold, the work of man's hands. They have mouths, but do not speak; they have eyes, but do not see; they have ears, but do not hear; nor is there any breath in their mouths. Those who make them becomed like them, so do all who trust in them."

In light of his present crisis Hezekiah looked to the most powerful reality to him,...and that was God. In like manner it makes most sense for us to do the same. We need to train our minds to look first to Christ, to offer our prayers to Him, before resorting to human ingenuity.

Hebrews 1 gives us at least 13 things to think about regarding our Lord - His character and His works. When we consider these things and consider that they are but the "tip of the iceberg" it should make great sense that our first "act" during any crisis is to humble ourselves and offer up our prayer.

Consider the following about the Lord from Hebrews 1 and may it convince you regarding the "logic" of prayer.

1. He is the communication of God to us.
2. He is the heir of all things
3. Through Christ the world was made
4. He is the radiance of the glory of God; the exact imprint of His nature
5. He upholds the universe
6. He made purificatino of sins
7. He sits at the right hand of the Majesty on high
8. He is much superior than the angels; He is to be worshipped by them
9. He is the Son of God
10. His throne is forever and ever
11. He is our righteousness
12. He changes not and will outlast the creation
13. All things will be subjected to Him in God's time

May we all be like Hezekiah and look first to the Lord Jesus, for He is God of Gods and Lord and Lords.