A Recipe of Motivation

A RECIPE FOR MOTIVATION

“Hear me, O Lord, hear me, that this people may know that You are the Lord God…”
(1 Kings 18:37)

Throughout First Kings 17 and 18, we see Elijah quickly and courageously obeying the Lord. His obedience led him all the way to Mount Carmel to a showdown with the prophets of Baal. Elijah challenged the prophets of Baal, “If the Lord is God, follow Him, if Baal, follow him” (18:21).
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What motivated Elijah to stand so firmly on his convictions? What motivated him to go out on the limb and put God to the test? The answer is found in his prayer for God to send the fire to consume the sacrifice (18:36-37).

Elijah’s motive for ministry and service is revealed in his prayer. He was captivated by the majesty of God. Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let be known this day that you are God in Israel.” An accurate understanding of who God is will motivate us to serve Him obediently and courageously.

The prophet was genuinely excited about being on the Lord’s side. He declared, “…and that I am your servant.” Do you recognize what an awesome privilege it is to be a servant of God?

Elijah also was motivated by obedience to God, “…and that I have done all these things at Your word.” When you examine the life of Elijah you will find that when God spoke Elijah obeyed. Are you motivated by a desire to be an obedient Christian?

We also find in Elijah’s prayer that he was in communion with God, “Hear me O Lord, hear me…”. Courage and motivation to stand for God in the difficult times will be found in unbroken communion with Him. How is your communion with God?
Lastly, Elijah was motivated by a concern for others to know God, “…that this people may know that You are the Lord God, and that You have turned their hearts back to You again.” A desire for others to know God should compel us to be faithful to our Lord.

What motivates you? Dr.Roger D. Willmore is a member of the Board of Reference of America's KESWICK and a popular speaker at our summer conferences. Today's devotional is from REAL VICTORY FOR REAL LIFE.

God's WORD for YOU: Proverbs 20; Genesis 49-50; Matthew 13:31-58

Great Quote:“Grace is totally alien to human psychology. We want to get our house in order and then let God love and accept us. The psychology of works-righteousness and self-certification is foundation to the human psyche and totally at odds with grace. The deep-seated way humans resist divine grace helps us understand something about the fear of love. While some people fear any love, what most of us resist in unconditional love—perfect love. The reason for this is that such love demands surrender…I am willing to accept measured doses of love as long as it doesn’t upset the basic framework of my world. That framework is built on the assumption that people get what they deserve…what humans want is to earn the love we seek. The Christian God comes to us as wholly other—so different from the gods of my imagination, so far beyond my control…God invites us to let him rid us for our fears and heal us by his love.” David Benner