Motivation

September 18

Sometimes when we reflect upon the lives of the apostles, we wonder what motivated them to endure all that befell them because they professed faith in Jesus and declared His salvation among the heathen empire that ultimately destroyed their lives for their effort.

These men who went about doing good, who spoke words of encouragement to the hopeless, words of health to the sick, words of life to the dying were imprisoned, beaten mercilessly, and vilely handled for their effort to share with the lost the message of salvation that had transformed their lives.

The prophet Jeremiah in Chapter 20, verse 9 gives some insight into the motivation behind those who see God with a clear eye and serve Him with a full heart. Here he declares, “If I say, ‘I won’t mention Him or speak any longer in His name,’ His message becomes a fire burning in my heart.”

There is an urgency within the bosom of the one who devotes his life to serving the Lord. The one who has seen Him, who feels the presence of His Holy Spirit, who has been redeemed by His salvation cannot deny the Lord and he cannot deny the opportunity to know Him to the lost who understand and know Him not.