Motivations

 

“Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.”

(Colossians 3:23-24 ESV)

 

It’s that time of year when many of us make resolutions. We do so, viewing the new year as a new beginning. Recognizing our flaws, recognizing our sins, we want to do better.

 

Looking at it in terms of our faith, this is a good attitude. It’s a healthy attitude. As we live an ongoing life of repentance and faith, we turn from our sin and we look to Christ.

 

However, as we make resolutions, as we seek to better ourselves, I’ve noticed something. Christ is not the focus of the changes we want to make. We are.

 

The goal for many of us, with the new year, is to lose weight. This is why gym memberships take off at the beginning of each year. And, again, our motivation for doing so is to improve our health. It’s to improve the way that we feel.

 

The same is true when it comes to our eating habits. Many of us resolve to improve this aspect of our lives. And, again, our motivation for doing so is our own health. It’s to improve the way that we feel.

 

Many of us focus on other aspects of life. We resolve to live a simpler life. We resolve to buy less and to save more. And we resolve to be more generous.

 

Even though this sounds laudable, our motivation is once again ourselves. By doing this, we’re told, our life will be less stressful. Living in this way, we’re told, will reduce worry from our life.

 

Still others among us see that we need to be more forgiving. And, as we seek to do so, we focus on the personal benefits of forgiveness. We say that we offer forgiveness not for the sake of the person who wronged us, but for our own benefit. We do so because it frees us from bitterness and resentment.

 

There may be truth in each rationalization we make. Losing weight and eating better will certainly improve our health and the way that we feel. Living a simpler life will certainly reduce stress. And forgiving others does offer to us a sense of freedom.

 

However, even if we receive these side benefits as we repent of our sin and resolve to make these changes, Christ should be our primary motivation. We should desire to make these changes in service of Christ. And we should desire to make these changes for the glory of Christ.

 

In the third chapter of Colossians, Paul was instructing believers how to live with one other. He tells wives to submit to their husbands. He tells husbands to love their wives. He tells children to obey their parents. He tells fathers that they’re not to provoke their children. He tells servants to obey their masters.

 

Now, it’s certainly true that doing these things will lead to a more peaceful life. It will result in less conflict. It will lead to personal blessings as well as blessings for those who surround us.

 

However, he closes with the verses above. After telling them to do these things, after instructing them to live in this way, he tells them that, whatever they do, they are to work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men. In other words, their focus was not to be on man, but on Christ.

 

Wives were to submit to their husbands for the Lord’s sake. Husbands are to love their wives for the Lord’s sake. Children are to obey their parents for the Lord’s sake. Fathers are to parent their children for the Lord’s sake. And servants are to obey their masters for the Lord’s sake.

 

Even though, as we follow these instructions, it’s clear that others will benefit, and even though it’s true that we ourselves will benefit, this shouldn’t be our primary motivation. We’re to do these things out of our love for the Lord. We’re to do them in service of the Lord. And we’re to do so knowing that he is the source of all blessings.