What motivates you to serve the Lord?

Brother, that is certainly a valid motivation. We should serve out of love for Him and what He did for us. But that is not the only motivation we are given in the bible. I know what God has delivered me from and the sins that He has forgiven, and even then sometimes I just don't feel like doing what I know I should. In light of the judgment seat of Christ, I'll take any motivation I can get.

 

What I don't understand James, is how you can know you are serving the Lord when you do not know if you even follow the Lord.

Jhn 10:27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:

God Bless! :thumbs:

 

This is one of those times that I post along the lines as James is posting.

The ship of faith has TWO oars not just one. It is BOTH the carrot AND the stick -- both the STAFF and the ROD that keep us on the narrow road as Heb 12 points out.

Sure it is true that "LOVE for God CONSTRAINS us" and it is true that He gives us love for those around us who are perishing so "that we BEG them on behalf of Christ be RECONCILED to God" 2Cor 5.

But the WARNING texts of scripture can not simply be dismissed as "untrue fables" under the thin veneer of "we love God too much to take the warning scriptures seriously".

 

Take it up with God - I am not the author that put those unpleasant texts in scripture. I just read it and accept it with all my heart.

AND BTW - what is it I did not address from the OP in my response about TWARS needed - not just one?

"They rod and thy staff they comfort me" Psalms 23. It is the Hebrews 12 principle that you seem to be complaining about.

in Christ,

Bob

 

What motivates me to serve my Lord? One drop of blood, as it were, in the garden.

Cheers,

Jim

 

HP: You are so right on with this post. God uses many motivations to help influence our wills to obedience. Love, chastisement, fear, etc. All are proper motivations under differing circumstances.

I believe that is why I have heard the prayers of the saints cry out to God, “Whatever it takes oh Lord!!”

 

I'm with him.

I never saw the assumption that all OSAS folks believe you can sin as you please. That is certianly not my view. I think we are victims of stereo typing...

 

4 point Calvinists and some Arminians who innexplicably take that same "solution" DO argue that sinning as much as you please after becoming saved - makes no difference at all.

It is the 3 and 5 point Calvinists who argue that Perseverance as taught in scripture must be accepted - in their form of OSAS.

This is not sterio typing but rather some who oppose OSAS do not clearly distinguish between those two OSAS camps. I think it is an honest mistake.

in Christ,

Bob

 

I did congratulate a poster that came around to fully accepting the warning texts of scripture - that is true. But that does not make me the author of those inconvenient texts of scripture.

No - i would much prefer salvation to be "locked and loaded" never waivering. But scripture WARNS us that this is not the case. In scripture we see things like "Forgiveness Revoked" in Matt 18 and "Fallen From Grace...Severed from Christ" in Gal 5.

In 1Cor 9 Paul argues "I buffet my body and make it my slave LEST after preaching the gospel to others I MYSELF should be disqualified" from the very Gospel he is preaching!

Things that "should not exist" if we really can imagine that God does not allow such things. This is pretty "humiliating" for us poor sinful humans as you point out. I would far prefer to be "above Paul" and all saints to the point of "Godlike motives" of love-because-love-is right as being my ONLY driver - my ONLY motivator. But sadly -- scripture informs us that our infirmities prevent that from being the case - so God clearly uses BOTH positive AND negative motivators in scripture reaching EVEN as far as Paul himself.

Nope - I would much prefer that God had written scripture the other way around altogether.

I am reporting the news - not making it.

But as it is - God presents BOTH motivating drivers in scripture not just one and God shows us in Matt 10 AND in 1Cor 9 that even the HIGHEST of saints are benefited by BOTH weapons in the Gospel arsenal -- no one is "above them".

in Christ,

Bob

 

HP: Now that we have two that agree, Jim 1999 and Le Buick, this thread promises to get very interesting.

The proof as to the effectiveness of any motivation is how it is working in ones life. What do you say Jim and Le Buick? What does this drop of blood motivate you to? Is it motivation that serves to free you from ‘all sin’ or does it work only on a specific list you have made up for yourselves?

 

Let us not forget another idea set forth as an apparent motivation mentioned in Scripture. Peter said, 1Pe 4:1 ¶ Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind: for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin;

"Ceased from sin?!" Who will be the first to call Peter a liar?

 

Habit, long term indoctrination.

 

Bill Wald: Habit, long term indoctrination.

HP: Excellent point. Before I ever knew what blood was I was learning Scripture and gaining influence on the knees of my parents……Sometimes being indoctrinated right side up,…….. and at other times upside down.

 

1 John 4:15 Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God.
:16 And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.
:17 Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world.
:18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.
:19 We love him, because he first loved us.

The more you know about Him, the more you love Him. Is not this the great commandment on which all the other commandments hang?

Matthew 22:37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
:38 This is the first and great commandment.
:39 And the second [is] like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
:40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

 

Do you hear His voice? Then why can't you hear Him when He says this?
Luke 12:43-48
43 Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing.
44 Of a truth I say unto you, that he will make him ruler over all that he hath.
45 But and if that servant say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; and shall begin to beat the menservants and maidens, and to eat and drink, and to be drunken;
46 The lord of that servant will come in a day when he looketh not for him, and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in sunder, and will appoint him his portion with the unbelievers.
47 And that servant, which knew his lord's will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes.
48 But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more.

 

While Jim and Le Buick contemplate their responses, let me ask the rest of the posters the same basic question.

The proof as to the effectiveness of any motivation is how it is working or has worked in ones life. Several have mentioned differing motivations to serve the Lord. My question is, what ever you feel your motivation(s) is (are) to serve the Lord, has it (have they) freed you at any time in your relationship with the Lord from ‘all sin’ or does it work only on a specific list of sins you have made up for yourselves?