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Personal Responsibility (3)
Motivation is key to someone doing anything. The makings of a business owner, coach, player, and servant of God depend upon the direction of the heart. The scriptures say, “for where thy treasure is, there will they heart be also” (Matthew 6:21). Therefore, every endeavor takes its first step from something developed in the heart ready to act. The question then becomes, “What motivates you?”
People think you need to be born with the nature to be personally motivated. Unless you are personally motivated, personal responsibility will never be completed. Is that true with a Christian? Are Christians by nature people who are personally motivated? Since few people know they need Christ and are not motivated to repent of their sins, unbelievers need to be instructed to be spiritually responsible. They are not born with the inclination toward personal responsibility. God does the motivating. He shows them through His word who they are to Him and the importance heeding His commands. He speaks to the soul regarding blessings and cursings. God shows each soul the need of personal responsibility for his mistakes, exhorts each one to repent of his sins, and obey the gospel call of salvation. God’s love, patience, mercy, and grace is the motivation for one to obey, then receive from their good works the rewards and blessings of service in the church.
The motivation a Christian has to personal responsibility comes from a heart of love for God with everything they have (Matthew 22:37). Without this motivating every good work (i.e., benevolence, correcting error, visiting, etc.), we are noting more than a “sounding brass, or a clanging cymbal” (1 Corinthians 13:1).
Read 2 Corinthians 5:9-11. Paul is constrained to be prepared for the judgment and live eternally with the Lord because of v. 14: “the love of Christ constraineth us...” “Constrain” is not pushing, coercing, or intimidating. In the Greek, it means “hold together...lest it fall to pieces.” In my personal life, my wife’s love constrains me. It motivates me to do what I should as a husband for her. It is not forced or driven upon me. It is from the responsibility I am given to love her (Ephesians 5:23-28). Such love holds me to her forever. This is the love which motivates my service to her for the sake of Christ (Ephesians 5:21).
The love of Christ is the highest love and greatest motivation for any and every good deed found in scripture. It is displayed whether or not someone else likes or appreciates what is done. The love of Christ is what holds us to our duty before Him. When love for Christ motivates the heart, it swells with desire to please God. It has no problem with self-denial. It has joy when it overcomes temptation toward immorality and chooses purity instead. When love motivates, it helps me understand why a brother in Christ will leave a six-figure income to preach the gospel in a place where the gospel is not known. It is this love which brings strong brethren to the house of weak ones to exhort them toward faithfulness. It is this love which motivates Christians to worship EVERY time, not just when they “feel like it.” His love constrains us whether we feel like it or not. It holds us to what it is we are to do.
Being God-conscious is the motivation for the Christian as well. God-seriousness is an attitude His Son Jesus had while upon the earth. Jesus set the example for our motivation in the words of John 4:34: “My meat is to do the will of Him who sent Me and to finish His work.” Jesus’ concern was pleasing His Father. This is to be our greatest concern as well. Jesus always did the Father’s will. He was motivated by pleasing Him through obedience in all things (John 8:29). His obedience extended all the way to the cross where He humbled Himself and “became obedient unto death” (Philippians 2:8). His awareness of God always lay in His heart and promoted an attitude of love toward the one (GOD) He desired to please. This is why Jesus comes to us with personal responsibility saying, “If you love Me, keep My commandments” (John 14:15).
God is our motivation in what He did for us in His Son Jesus. “But we behold Him who hath been made a little lower than the angels, even Jesus, because of the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, that by the grace of God He should taste of death for every man” (Hebrews 2:9). This is my motivation for personal responsibility. God allowed His Son to be killed for me. Such motivation has no problem with listening to and obeying all God has for me to personally do. As David said, in Psalm 40:8, “I desire to do Your will, O my God; Your law is within my heart.” When placed beside the world, there is nothing to love more than what God desires. “Whom have I in heaven but You? And earth has nothing i desire besides You” (Psalm 73:25).
The application of love for God and being conscious of God as what motivates the Christian to be responsible can be summarized in these five points:
- Decision. Choose whom to serve (Joshua 24:15; Matthew 20:28; Romans 6:16). Until you decide to be involved, it will not “just happen.” Each one must commit to time, energy, love, and service.
- Integrity. Have simple honesty to know something good for God must be done. Philip ran to the eunuch (Acts 8:30). Christians prayed for brethren in need (Acts 4:23-31), and it provided them boldness to preach the gospel. Know that God has never given man a command that he/she could not fulfill (James 4:17).
- Knowledge. Obtain the understanding of God’s law. Meditate upon opportunities. Act upon what needs to be done according to the truth (Colossians 3:17).
- Think good. Philippians 4:8 outlines all the good a Christian can think. When your mind changes track and is placed upon the “good works” of God, you will be motivated to do good not just once, but over and over again. It never becomes weary (Galatians 6:9), because your heart is thinking good. Writing letters or making phone calls helps the sick. Teaching a class leads to the spiritual growth of someone. Hospitality is something everyone is called to exhibit. Think good and good acts follow.
- Have hope. Every Christian needs to believe in success and victory. There is a way to win against Satan. Unfaithful members do not return without hope. Weakness is not turned into maturity without hope. A church does not have elders without hope. Young people do not become Christians without hope. Churches do not become self-supporting, nor increase in numbers without hope. With hope, n duty I have is too difficult, no rule is too hard, and no conduct is beyond my ability. Hope is the anchor of our souls. Fasten to it (Hebrews 6:19).
When we see this is all about God, we will do what is our duty to do.
