What's your motivation

“The proof is when the truth is when you hear your heart start asking, ‘what’s my motivation?’”   Shine by Newsboys

I am amazed by stories of someone climbing Mt. Everest or some other gigantic piece of God’s creation.  I watched a documentary about a team of climbers and their experience trying to conquer Everest.  At least one team member died, and they just had to leave him, no way to get him down without killing someone else trying.  I also remember the story of the last day.  They could see the summit and to finish the climb which was around 300 feet away – that’s all they had to do.  But it took experienced climbers nine hours to scale the length of a football field.  That’s how hard it is.  Extreme motivation.

The disciples had been motivated by Jesus to go and make more disciples.  Then the unthinkable happened and they witnessed Him being crucified.  What did they do immediately after?  They gathered in a room, but I wonder what they were talking about.  Confusion.  Lost motivation.

Then Jesus showed up.  Can you imagine?  The disciples had followed Jesus and were certainly convinced that they were following the Son of God.  He had told them what was going to happen to Him, but I think it was so abstract they could not grasp it until they saw it.  Suddenly they went from dejected and confused to complete and total commitment to tell the world about Him.  Divine motivation.

But the world still had a motivation to stop the spread of this little band of believers.  They were punished, beaten, hung upside down on cross, boiled in oil, skinned alive – and they would not stop.  They could not stop.  They had seen too much.  Supernatural motivation. 

I sometimes hesitate to tell someone about Jesus thinking they may not want to hear it from me.  What if I reached deep within myself and found the courage to share what I have seen in my life – nothing more.  I know that subject well and there is absolutely no way to claim the path of my life was not directed by Jesus.  I’ve seen too much.  There is no denying that it has not been about me.  It’s about Him.

No one takes one step up a mountain and stops.  The point is reaching the top.  I think we underestimate evil.  Satan won’t just take one step.  Give him one foothold and he will take another and another and will slowly climb into your heart and kill it from the inside out if you let him.  Don’t let him.

What’s your Mount Everest?  Health?  Job?  Money? A relationship?  Believing? The last 300 feet or so of your climb to the top of your mountain may be the hardest.  Keep climbing anyway.

Challenge:  Jesus was motivated to save you and me.  What’s your motivation to let Him?

Rick Claiborn