As I have been writing some on the topic of God Motivation, it has been my prayer that such a phrase be further developed only if it is true, that is, Biblical. It is very possible that these words could be regularly on my mind, sound very spiritual, and be completely false (although I don't believe that God motivation is one of those). I had to stop the other day as I was studying 1 Thessalonians to look more closely at one verse in particular. ...Though we had already suffered and been shamefully treated at Philippi, as you know, we had boldness in our God to declare to you the gospel of God in the midst of much conflict (2:2). Something there struck me, encouraged me, and perhaps even frightened me. The God-centeredness of the verse was what struck me. Did you catch it? When Paul and his companions were on their short visit to Thessalonica (short because they were driven out), they had boldness in their God to declare to them the gospel of God. God is both the fuel and the focus in this verse. How could it possibly be that Paul would continue to share the message that was getting him into so much trouble and causing him so much pain? God was his motivation, the One giving him courage and ambition to keep going from town to town no matter how great the opposition. But not only was God driving Paul along, He was also the the content of the message; Paul's gospel was the gospel of God.
This really isn't all that deep until you start to think about what it means. Paul's Christian journey was anything but easy, and I can only guess that he had times of discouragement where he would have to ask, "Is it worth it?" The guy was nearly beaten to death on multiple occasions for telling people that they needed to repent and trust in Jesus, which helps us to make sense of why he seemed to be practically giddy over the fact that the Thessalonian church was doing so well that people all over were encouraged in hearing about their faith. But people getting saved wasn't what ultimately kept Paul going, and I would argue that such a motivation wouldn't have been enough. If it were, Paul would have changed his message to make it more palatable, looked for ways to be seeker friendly, and tested the waters a lot more to make sure his listeners were ready for a new message. But he was God motivated, drawn along by God to make God known in the purest form (giving us the epistles of our canon!). Are Christians, particularly American Christians, ready to do this today? Am I ready to do this today? God motivation in the hearts of Christians will mean that we carry Paul's gospel, the gospel of God, the gospel that brought him much pain and, counter-intuitively, much joy. I want Paul's God motivation, and thus his joy, which will likely include and accompany his pain.
Lord God, be my motivation whatever the cost. Help me to realize that counting the cost was something I was to do when I became your disciple and must continue doing today. Give me boldness in You and help me to know no other gospel but Yours as I go.
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