Webster’s dictionary describes motive as “any emotion or desire operating on one’s will and driving it to action.” No one wills anything without a prior cause. This is true of all our actions, our speech, and our decisions every day. Our will responds to motivations which may come from many sources. The Lord, who created us with this will, also uses motivation to guide us in our walk with Him. Years ago, a Navigator speaker, whose name I cannot recall, listed the motivations that the Lord uses in our lives. I have found these to be beneficial over the years and trust that they will be helpful to you as well. There are nine in number and are found in II Corinthians.
II Corinthians 5:1-9 describes a motivation based on the knowledge of our future dwelling place with the Lord. At the moment we take our last breath we enter into an eternal house in heaven! We are assured of this because the Holy Spirit is given to us as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come. The certainty of our eternal destination is a powerful motivation for us as we labor with Him for the lost.
II Corinthians 5:10, a motivation by judgment, reminds us that the Lord takes careful note of our entire lives, remembering all that He has done through our lives as we have relied, by faith, on His Spirit to work through us. Nothing that He has done through us is overlooked. The judgment seat is a seat of rewards! Our sin was judged at the cross and is remembered no more. The motivation of judgment encourages us as we labor in anticipation of receiving our praise from Him!
II Corinthians 5:11 refers to the fear of God as a motivation to serve, to worship, to love and to trust Him. It is not characterized by being fearful, but rather a worshipful awe, respect, and wonder because of who He is. Our hearts should be stirred to please Him with all of our thoughts, words and deeds.
II Corinthians 5:13 introduces the motive of unselfishness which we also find in the life of our Lord Jesus. “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich.” (II Corinthians 8:9) Here in II Corinthians 5, Paul states that he is willing to let others think less of him so that they might come to Christ. He refers to this in II Corinthians 4:12 as well, “So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you.”
II Corinthians 5:14-15 describes the motive of love, “For the love which Christ has for me presses on me from all sides, holding me to one end, and prohibiting me from considering any other, wrapping itself around me in tenderness, giving me an impelling motive.” (II Corinthians 5:14 Wuest ) This is none other than the love of Christ, which is given to us as a birthright when we trust in Him as our Savior and Lord. His love for us, for Him, and for others is poured out into our hearts. (Romans 5:5)
II Corinthians 5:16-17 reminds us that we are motivated by regeneration. Because of the change in us, we see people differently. We have a new sense of their worth to God. We are motivated by their value in the eyes of our Lord to both love them and to serve them.
II Corinthians 5:18-21 relates to us that we are motivated by reconciliation. God has made possible the non-imputation of sin and the imputation of righteousness. The news that each one we meet can be fully reconciled to God through belief in His righteousness as a gift to them is a powerful motivation in our lives.
II Corinthians 6:1-2 impresses us that time is a powerful motivation in our relationship with others. The guarantee of more time is not given to anyone. “Now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation.” (II Corinthians 6:2b)
II Corinthians 6:3-10 lists the sufferings Paul endured and mentions them as motivations to continue to be faithful in service to the Lord. He refers to those again in Philippians 3:10. “I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death.” He also refers to these in Colossians 1:24, “Now I rejoice in what was suffered for you, and I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ’s afflictions for the sake of his body, which is the church.”
The above list of motivations all have a similar goal, which is to enable us to be productive in the Lord’s ministry. This ministry, which He has given to us, is described in II Corinthians 2:14 -II Corinthians 6:13. In this section of scripture we are called “ministers of a new covenant.” ( II Cor. 3:6) It is in this passage that we are introduced to “the ministry of the Spirit” in II Cor. 3:8, the “ministry that brings righteousness,” (II Cor. 3:9) and the “ministry of reconciliation.” (II Cor. 5:18) The new covenant is the ministry of the Spirit through us that brings righteousness and reconciliation to many others. It is my prayer that the Lord will use these motivations richly in your lives to both increase and multiply His eternal harvest!
In Christ, Richard Spann