Extraordinary Motivation

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I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing! (Galatians 2:21)

I’m a runner.  These days I run recreationally because I just love to run.  But I used to be very competitive.  Looking back on those years, I reflect on what motivated me to compete: the pressure from my coach to win races and championships; the desire to prove myself to my teammates; the need to show the world that I was better than other people I raced against, that I trained more, worked harder, or sacrificed the most to win.  And I did win a few races, but now I wonder if these motivations were holding me back, instead of sending me soaring.

In this passage Paul is telling us what motivates him. Before Jesus, Paul lived a strict life according to Jewish religious laws.  He realized pleasing God does not come from the law of this world, but the sacrifice of Jesus. If the only motivation we needed to be our best self in this world was to do what the world tells us, then truly, “Christ died for nothing”.  

What does it really mean to the world to be our “best self?” Nothing. 

But what does it mean to Jesus? Everything.

Jesus didn’t “die for nothing.” He died for us! He made an extraordinary sacrifice so that we could truly be alive through the grace of God. Paul is asking us to cast off worldly motivations, even those well-intentioned ones. We need to make the shift to the grace of God, given through Jesus, as our extraordinary motivation to be the person Jesus says we are!

When I was a competitive runner, my best performances were still motivated by a worldly desire to be my best self and show that self to the world.  But now I’ve shifted to view running as a celebration of the amazing things Jesus has made for us.  I feel joy as I experience this wonderful ability to move my body.  I’m outside, enjoying the fresh air, sunlight, and the world Jesus created.  I see the gift that running is.  

And that shift carries through my entire world.  Going to church on Sunday is no longer a mundane routine, but it is an extraordinary part of my week.  Choosing to volunteer isn’t extra work, but a true expression of how Jesus is teaching me to live.  I show those I encounter kindness not just so they’d see me as a good person, but so they see the goodness of Jesus through me.

While I can’t go back in time and share how important the right motivation is to a faster, skinnier Dave, I can live forward knowing that as I shift my motivation to Jesus, I’ll truly shine.

Where does your motivation come from? Are there parts of your life when you’ve felt stuck and disappointed even though you’re doing “all the right things” the world tells you to do? Is there a place where you could be reborn with Jesus at the center?

1 Comment

Hi Dave, your post opened up for me new ubderstanding of Paul's exhortation to run the race set before us. It should be a joy.

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