Two ways to stay motivated as a Christian

​How does a believer keep his or her motivation? Understand the motivation of the new believer.  But how does one stay motivated in day-to-day living, year after year?

Motivation is an art, and like any art, it requires wisdom and skill. And like any art, it can be done poorly. An agitated verbal assault from the pulpit may be an awkward spectacle that goes viral on YouTube, but we know berating Christians into service by a verbal lashing from the pulpit is a powerless strategy.

So, what does Jesus say to us about this? One of the most powerful chapters in all of Scripture describes the highest level of motivation. That is not hyperbole. It records Jesus describing why He got up every day.

“’So, Jesus explained, “I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself. He does only what he sees the Father doing. Whatever the Father does, the Son also does. For the Father loves the Son and shows him everything he is doing. In fact, the Father will show him how to do even greater works than healing this man. Then you will truly be astonished.’” By myself, I can do nothing… for I seek not to please myself but him who sent me. (John 5:19-20 NLT, 30 NIV)

What got Jesus out of bed every day of His life was to do the will of the Father. He was motivated by love for His Father and His desire to please Him. It was that love and desire to please the Father that filled His being with love for humans and His desire to heal, reconcile, and restore humankind to God’s original design.

When you come to know Christ and put your faith in Him, Jesus changes your life. You are excited about Him, and everything in life is a contrast to what it was before. But over the long haul, how do you keep that motivation going? How do you sustain a Christ-centered life?

The world is motivated by self and the aggrandizement of self, the all-about-me syndrome, which is identified by self-determination, self-obsession, and self-worship. The Bible does not teach us to be self-centered. In fact, it teaches just the opposite. Jesus said, “The greatest among you will be your servant. For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted” (Matthew 23:11-12; Luke 9:48  NIV). As followers of Christ, we are called to deny ourselves, take up our cross, and follow Him (Matthew 16:24 NIV). The cross was an instrument of death, and Jesus’ message to us is that only those who die to self will truly follow Him. We do that by doing nothing out of vanity and conceit, but instead considering others better than ourselves (Philippians 2:3 NIV).

Jesus set the example for our motivation in this life: “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me and to finish His work” (John 4:34 NIV). Jesus was concerned with pleasing His Father, and so should that same concern motivate us. He always did the Father’s will, motivated by pleasing Him through obedience (John 8:29 NIV).  

His obedience extended all the way to the cross, where He humbled Himself and “became obedient unto death” (Philippians 2:8 NIV).  Our motivation should be the same as His—the obedience by which we prove we are truly His. “If you love me, keep my commandments” (John 14:15 NIV).

1. Read the Bible
So, how do you spend time with God? By opening His Word and spending regular time there. I know that believers used to talk a lot more about daily devotions and time with God, but I think many people started feeling like, “That is just a check-off-the-box, superficial kind of Christianity. I do not want to just think, ‘Okay, I had my quiet time. So now I am okay, and that is all it takes.’”

Well, of course, that is not all it takes. But I would maintain that it is a significant part of sustaining our relationship with the Lord because I need to spend time in God’s Word every day. During the days when I do not, I really see a difference in my eternal perspective (and my lack of perspective).

So, I would encourage you to spend daily time in God’s Word. It can be a read-through-the-Bible-in-a-year type of program or one of many programs that provide daily readings of both Old and New Testament passages. You can go online and look at devotional books that help lead you through Scripture. Connect with a Life Group here at the church. These weekly groups study the Bible. In these groups, you dig deeper into the Word, learning a lot more than I can share with you on Sunday morning.

2. Pray
Time spent in prayer should be integrated into your time spent in the Word. I confess that when I set aside time in prayer and it is all without reference to God’s Word, I can get lost. So, what I will do is pray Scripture, sometimes aloud to myself as I read.

Our relationship with Christ needs to be a love relationship, and although we certainly want to be obedient and need to obey Him even when we do not feel like it, we are nonetheless daily asking God to be present in our lives. We can trust He will answer that prayer because He has promised us, “Lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Matt. 28:20 NKJV).  As we pursue knowing the Lord Jesus Christ, may we sense the very presence of God’s Holy Spirit in our lives.

​Make Every Day Count!

​Pastor Barry Yates

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