Whatis Your Motivation?
Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain. ~1Corinthians 15:58
Recently, I had to take a close look at myself and the goals I had set out for my life. This was after I finally decided to give in to God’s plan and stop dictating my own. It was as though I was looking at my life through a different set of lenses. I have always been an extremely ambitious person. I believe I have an entrepreneurial spirit. Even though none of my ventures into the business realm have been overly successful, I still have an overwhelming urge to create something that generates income and longterm success. When I discovered my love for the written word, I thought I struck gold.
Years later, I realize it was fools gold. My goals and my hopes for the future came from a totally selfish place. Sure, I said I wanted to do certain things to secure a future for my family and my children, but when I stripped away all that positive language fluff, I wanted what I wanted for me. I did not have one altruistic motive behind my ambition. I never thought about helping others the way God would have wanted me to.
Do not get me wrong. I am a trained counselor, so I am not a complete monster :). In that sense, I enjoyed helping people accomplish their goals and move past their disabilities. I still do. But when I think about my business ventures and why I craved success, I did not have helping people in the mix let alone God.
As someone who would like to walk as Jesus did, my life (not just my goals and career) should be about “the work of the Lord” and not about myself. I failed to fully understand that. How can I praise God and ask him for change in my life when a large part of my life is based in selfishness? I can, but the outcome will not be to my favor. God has shown me that there exist an infinite number of ways that I can serve him with the gift that he has given me. I just had to be in the place in which I would accept and receive his direction.
Are you working for the Lord? Are you even close? Know that once the decision is made to follow God’s path that he will not leave you no matter how dark the times may seem. He will be your strength, and he will cause blessings to rain down upon you. We must be ready to receive them and understand that they are coming from Him.
Prayer: Lord, you know that I desire to walk as Jesus did. I thank you for being my protector and ask that you allow me the wisdom to take advantage of every opportunity in which I can serve you and your purpose.
Recently, I had to take a close look at myself and the goals I had set out for my life. This was after I finally decided to give in to God’s plan and stop dictating my own. It was as though I was looking at my life through a different set of lenses. I have always been an extremely ambitious person. I believe I have an entrepreneurial spirit. Even though none of my ventures into the business realm have been overly successful, I still have an overwhelming urge to create something that generates income and longterm success. When I discovered my love for the written word, I thought I struck gold.
Years later, I realize it was fools gold. My goals and my hopes for the future came from a totally selfish place. Sure, I said I wanted to do certain things to secure a future for my family and my children, but when I stripped away all that positive language fluff, I wanted what I wanted for me. I did not have one altruistic motive behind my ambition. I never thought about helping others the way God would have wanted me to.
Do not get me wrong. I am a trained counselor, so I am not a complete monster :). In that sense, I enjoyed helping people accomplish their goals and move past their disabilities. I still do. But when I think about my business ventures and why I craved success, I did not have helping people in the mix let alone God.
As someone who would like to walk as Jesus did, my life (not just my goals and career) should be about “the work of the Lord” and not about myself. I failed to fully understand that. How can I praise God and ask him for change in my life when a large part of my life is based in selfishness? I can, but the outcome will not be to my favor. God has shown me that there exist an infinite number of ways that I can serve him with the gift that he has given me. I just had to be in the place in which I would accept and receive his direction.
Are you working for the Lord? Are you even close? Know that once the decision is made to follow God’s path that he will not leave you no matter how dark the times may seem. He will be your strength, and he will cause blessings to rain down upon you. We must be ready to receive them and understand that they are coming from Him.
Prayer: Lord, you know that I desire to walk as Jesus did. I thank you for being my protector and ask that you allow me the wisdom to take advantage of every opportunity in which I can serve you and your purpose.
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