What Motivates Us

James 1:9-12 NLT
(9) Believers who are poor have something to boast about, for God has honored them.
(10) And those who are rich should boast that God has humbled them. They will fade away like a little flower in the field.
(11) The hot sun rises and the grass withers; the little flower droops and falls, and its beauty fades away. In the same way, the rich will fade away with all of their achievements.
(12) God blesses those who patiently endure testing and temptation. Afterward they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love Him.

Is it financial wealth and possessions that drives us to do what we do? What about power and influence over others, deep down does that make us feel good at the end of the day? I read that no matter how great our achievements if it is not done for the Lord then it will all die with us when we pass from this life and though we think those achievements can be used as tokens when we stand before our Creator we will find only bitter disappointment because we have spent our lives chasing the wrong things.

If we truly believe God know all and sees all and that He really loves us then why wouldn't we obey His commandments? If my motivation is money or possessions then I have separated myself from a relationship with God and know nothing of Him. I then have effectively pulled away from Him not the other way around. The rich man asks where is God in times of trouble while his fists are clinched to his achievements and money, somehow hoping they will save him. It is not easy trusting in the unseen but that is faith and faith is required of us if we are to please our Heavenly Father.

You see it is not by my strength that I endure all the tests life throws at me but my strength comes from having relationship with my Savior, regardless of what others think, say, or do. It is too often too easy for someone not understanding the trial your going through to offer a solution because they think too highly of themselves and fail to realize, like you, just how dependent they really are. Like the teenager who brags to all his friends how independent he is but has not yet ventured out on his own, some never leave home. And like that teenager there are many spiritual teens who like to brag how well they're doing but fail to realize it's because of the protection of the Father.

Like a good father God also moves us toward maturity through trials and tribulations, not that He sends the test but that He pulls back His wing of protection enough for us to understand just how much we need Him but make no mistake the temptation is just that because of the evil desires within our own hearts. God allows us to see who we are as we grow closer to Him and as we come face-to-face with our own depravity there are ample opportunities to fear but James tells us this...

James 1:2-5 NLT
(2) Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy.
(3) For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow.
(4) So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.
(5) If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and He will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking.

It is God's good pleasure to help us through, as we look to Him but should we depend on something apart from Him the result is clear.

James 1:6-8 NLT
(6) But when you ask Him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind.
(7) Such people should not expect to receive anything from the Lord.
(8) Their loyalty is divided between God and the world, and they are unstable in everything they do.