Drivers, Desire, Treasure and Redemption in Chirst's Way.

Drivers, Desire, Treasure and Redemption in Chirst's Way.

There is a difference between deep love for someone and being pleased with what they are doing. Any parent will tell you that they love their children but shortly after we can see that they are not always pleased with the actions they take. Sometimes punishment is the way parents respond but more often we see that a parent's pleasure will drive the behavior of a child who loves them.

I look at my own life and wonder why it is so hard to uphold my duties and why after time has passed and I know that I can succeed in them that my delight in the task is diminished and I am left with feelings of drudgery, zapped energy, and thoughts like "do I have to?". While at the same time I have the energy to do other things that seem more rewarding to me. I can remember coming into the kitchen not long ago and noticing two things that needed to be done; one, the laundry folding was my duty, and the other, washing the dishes was Tasha's duty. Right away I decided that I didn't want to go near the laundry but I could be nice and do something extra for Tasha by doing her dishes. Why is this? Why did I feel zapped thinking about the laundry and energized thinking about the dishes?

I think it is because I knew that Tasha would come in shortly after I was done and be very pleased and happy. She would thank me and I would be the hero. (meanwhile my own duties are not getting done and I am sure that would not be too pleasing to her). While I knew that I would not receive any recognition through folding the laundry. The only acknowledgment I would receive there was acknowledgment that I didn't do my job.

So, I know that this is not a healthy way to be. I can not depend on the thanks and acknowledgment I get from Tasha or other people. It does not come all the time, it gets weaker the more it is said (everyone has met someone who thanks them for everything and eventually this looses it's meaning), and in doing this I am still disregarding my duties. What motivation does God give us to do our jobs?

He says that he acknowledges what is done in secret and rewards us. (MT 6)Jesus tells us about heavenly rewards that are different from earthly rewards. Earthly rewards are to be seen by men while heavenly rewards are to be seen by God who see what we do when no one else is around. People may not take notice when we do our duties, but the LORD does. He is pleased with our actions and will reward us somehow. God calls himself Father and love us more than any Father ever has. But love of who we are is different from being happy or pleased with how we are living. No father would be happy when one child hurts his/her brother or sister or him/herself. God want what's best for all of us in his love and he also is considering other.

Our desires play a big part in this. Jesus asks us "where is our treasure?". Do we desire to be seen by men? Or do we know and trust that God sees us. Hebrews 11 says that "it is impossible to please God without faith." And it says that anyone who wants to come to God must.. "believe that God exists" and "that he rewards those who sincerely seek him." Reward is a God given driver. He rewards the people who seek after him (not those who seek reward, but those who seek God). The motivating thing is to get closer to God. Is the reward to get closer to God? Jesus says in John 14:15 "If you love me, you will obey what I command." Jesus says that if love for him (a good desire) is our driver we will obey him.

Psalm 37:4 "Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart." If we delight ourselves in the Lord, find joy in him, he will meet the truest desires of our heart. Not the false desires like the consumeristic more that drives so many of us but the God redeemed desires of the deepest part of ourselves, our heart. This sounds similar to what Jesus says in MT 6 "But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well." All these earthly desires (food, clothes, etc) will be met if our first desire it to seeking after God's kingdom and the righteousness that comes from God.

What are drivers? Desires, things that motivate.
How does God motivate?
Rewards- what are they? Some we know will not be seen until we are with the Lord as Paul talks about some rewards being in the future while other rewards are seen in the present. We believe the kingdom is both now and not yet and I think the same can be said for rewards. We are changed as we are molded into Christ's image by the potter Spirit, we experience joy and life that are impossible without obedience and yielding to the Father. Romans 8:5 "those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires." If we are delighting ourselves in the Spirit it will be a joy for us to see the Spirit's desires met. (Knowing especially that The Spirit brings life, is trustworthy, and love us, and is looking out for our interest, working out all things for the good of those who love Him).
Knowing him who we love more, visions of the kingdom, our love and delight for God which in turn leads to met desires.

Pleasing God is a reward. I was rewarded when Tasha was pleased that I did the dishes. The pharisees are rewarded when they are seen by men and we are rewarded when we are seen by God.

Let's look at what God has to say about our drivers...

1)pleasing others-
"For the appeal we make does not spring from error or impure motives, nor are we trying to trick you. 4On the contrary, we speak as men approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel. We are not trying to please men but God, who tests our hearts. 5You know we never used flattery, nor did we put on a mask to cover up greed—God is our witness." 1Thes 2:3-5
Paul talks about motives. His motive is not to please men but God.
"Am I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God? Or am I trying to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ."
A healthy person knows they are love by God and is driven by a desire to please Him.

Hebrews 13:15-17 "Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that confess his name. 16And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased. 17Obey your leaders and submit to their authority. They keep watch over you as men who must give an account. Obey them so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no advantage to you. "

Does this mean that we don't care about what other people want? Not at all. God tells us to love others. He says to consider their needs about our own. But the difference is the way we are motivated to do good things. Is it for our own salvation? God says that we do not earn our salvation through works, it is a gift. Is it to be seen by men? Or in reaction to the love of God, to please him?

2)Hurry up
Are you worried about not doing enough? What will happen of you stop?

God commands us to rest. To take a sabbath. He will provide, don't worry (Mt 6).
"9There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; 10for anyone who enters God's rest also rests from his own work, just as God did from his. 11Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will fall by following their example of disobedience." Hebrews 4:9-11
Heaven will include rest. If we do not like rest we will not like heaven. Rest is an essential component of the kingdom.

Are you anxiously trying to earn your way into heaven?
Scripture says, Ephesians 2:8-9 "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9not by works, so that no one can boast."

God wants you to accept his gift (Romans 5:15-17) and stop trying to earn his salvation.

Are you worried about death?

God promises to those who believe in him eternal life. We have all of eternity. There is no need to hurry.

3)Be perfect
John 7:19"Did not Moses give you the Law, and yet none of you carries out the Law?

Is this rooted in pride or fear?
"God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble." 1peter 5:5
"The one who fears is not made perfect in love." 1 Jn 4:19

Do we delight in other people's perfection?
"We are glad whenever we are weak but you are strong; and our prayer is for your perfection." 2 Cor 13:9

or are you trying to be perfect as the heavenly father is perfect? Mt 5:48. In this God tells us to, "Love your enemies[i] and pray for those who persecute you." Mt 5:44
Mt 19:21 "Jesus answered, "If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me." That is the type of perfection Jesus is looking for. Be made perfect in love.



4) Be strong
Who is your hope in? You or God?

"that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead. 10He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us." 2Cor 1:9b-10

Can you be vulnerable in your weaknesses? We all have strengths and weakness. There is not one person who does not need others. If fact, the original sin was independence from God. They no longer trusted in God but in themselves to be their own gods; their own saviors.

Being strong is good if we use it to help other ""Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good."" (1Cor 12:7) and know that God set us up so that we will always be reliant on all the other members of the body, "The eye cannot say to the hand, "I don't need you!" And the head cannot say to the feet, "I don't need you!" On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor." (1Cor 12:21-23) .

[See also..
9But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. 10That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong." 2Cor12: 9-10

"25For the foolishness of God is wiser than man's wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man's strength." 1Cor 1:25]

5)Try hard/ strive

It is God who changes us from the inside out. We can not earn salvation. We cannot transform ourselves into His image. We need to rely on God.

Run the race, make sure you are going in the right direction. What is the treasure you are trying to get to? Because where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.



The kingdom turns things upside-down.