This FNS first went out 01-18-02 Well, I'd have to say that this week's FNS is rather timely. There's a great deal in the news about motivation these days. I don't just mean because it's the start of the new year and most people are interested in being motivated to keep to their new year commitments. More than that, people are looking to the past, the end of the year 2001 and wondering. We're all wanting to know where the motivation of a man can come from that would cause him to lay down his life, and even take it, in the name of his god, so as to kill those he sees as his enemy. To us, this kind of steadfast motivation is powerful and strange. In our society, this kind of thing just does not occur. Andy, the Outreach Director of Bethel Free Will Baptist Church in VA keeps a quote on his wall. Now, I can't remember who spoke the quote but I'll do my best to share it with you. It says, "Are you willing to do for Christ what others are willing to do for a lie." Calm down. That doesn't mean be ready to kill ourselves and others to further the cause of Christ. What's being asked is whether or not we're willing to be as dedicated to serving Christ as a cultist is to his cult. That really a sad questions to have to ask because we really should be far more ready and willing. The sad truth is often that our willingness falls far below that of what it should be. I, myself, have needed to look and see in my own life how I've not been in touch with the Lord like I'd like to be or need to be. It's not that I've gone evil or given up on Christ. The problem for me, and I'm sure for many of us at times in our walk with Christ is a lack of motivation. Sometime we just flat out want to do something else. There does not need to be any major sin showing in our lives but the disobedience that is to be found at the root of this lack of motivation can halt productivity in it's tracks. I know that you may be wondering how obedience can play a role in motivation. Friend, it has to be there. There must be some rule, some standard, some command that a person is willing to obey in order to complete a task. At the risk of sounding like I'm advocating a works philosophy, when you're not doing for the Lord or doing less than you know you ought, you are being disobedient and do not have the proper motivation. With all of the many things in our lives today to take away our attention and time, it's easy to find oneself not shining a brightly as could be. Even good things can add up to get in our way. Again, there need not be any flagrant rottenness. Simply, any falling short of the mark God has set for us is sin. Those Muslims clearly were following a false cause. Nevertheless, they followed with a fervent dedication that is often lacking in us. While they will openly share the lie of their god, we of ten bow to public pressure and will not so much as acknowledge, by speech, dress, or action, that we serve the one true God. Who are we motivated to serve? Let's look together at some truly righteous motivation. We can all learn a great deal. KJV 2 Corinthians 4: 8 - 18 8 We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; 9 Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed; 10 Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body. 11 For we which live are alway delivered unto death for Jesus' sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh. 12 So then death worketh in us, but life in you. 13 We having the same spirit of faith, according as it is written, I believed, and therefore have I spoken; we also believe, and therefore speak; 14 Knowing that he which raised up the Lord Jesus shall raise up us also by Jesus, and shall present us with you. 15 For all things are for your sakes, that the abundant grace might through the thanksgiving of many redound to the glory of God. 16 For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day. 17 For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; 18 While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal. NLT 2 Corinthians 4: 8 - 18 8 We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed and broken. We are perplexed, but we don't give up and quit. 9 We are hunted down, but God never abandons us. We get knocked down, but we get up again and keep going. 10 Through suffering, these bodies of ours constantly share in the death of Jesus so that the life of Jesus may also be seen in our bodies. 11 Yes, we live under constant danger of death because we serve Jesus, so that the life of Jesus will be obvious in our dying bodies. 12 So we live in the face of death, but it has resulted in eternal life for you. 13 But we continue to preach because we have the same kind of faith the psalmist had when he said, "I believed in God, and so I speak." 14 We know that the same God who raised our Lord Jesus will also raise us with Jesus and present us to himself along with you. 15 All of these things are for your benefit. And as God's grace brings more and more people to Christ, there will be great thanksgiving, and God will receive more and more glory. 16 That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day. 17 For our present troubles are quite small and won't last very long. Yet they produce for us an immeasurably great glory that will last forever! 18 So we don't look at the troubles we can see right now; rather, we look forward to what we have not yet seen. For the troubles we see will soon be over, but the joys to come will last forever. I'd just like to ask you: Who do you serve? Why do you serve? What are you going to do about it? In these last days, there are Muslims, Jews, Catholics, Jehovah's Witnesses, Seventh Day Adventists, Mormons, Buddhists, and many many others that need to know the truth about the Lord Jesus Christ. Many of these people hear the name of Christ every day but not about the power of Eternal Life and assurance He brings. There are even people on the pews next to us that will die and go to hell just the same as any cultist or false believer. Share the Christ of the Bible. Be dedicated. Love those people because they are headed for an eternity without God. I'd like you to know that you can have more of an effect than you may be aware. I'll share with you an example from my life. Because of my employment circumstance, I wound up working together with people that I had never met before in my life. I didn't try to put on any big show or parade around the fact that I'm a Christian. I simply showed my Christianity , which is my faith in Christ as overtly as the others around me showed their own beliefs. There was one gentleman, Jimmy, who was outwardly hostile towards God that I began to befriend. One day another employee, Ashi, had a very large sale pending. Knowing of my relationship with Christ, Jimmy jokingly told Ashi that he should have me pray for him. I told him that I would and the next day I even returned to tell him that I had. That's when Ashi stunned me. Ashi was from Iran and had grown up in the thick of Muslim culture. He was so grateful and energetic because I had prayed for him that he asked me to read the Bible to him on a regular basis. He told me that he liked the stories but he had a hard time understanding. After that every weekday I saw him we would sit down together and go through the book of Luke. As you can see there was nothing special that I had done except to be motivated enough to share who I was. Please know that it is often in the smallest ways that our obedience to God can have the greatest effects in others lives. Its a sad shame that we look for the big showoffs. The smaller we are the greater Christ is in us. AMEN! Grace To You, ISDAMan
Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! wha?? is this like a FRIDAY NIGHT SERMON for THIS message board? hmmm. alright im a newb, so yaaaaaa know. cause i dont! hehe
