Category: Motive

Motive Behind Ministry

“And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” Colossians 3:17 (ESV) Everything matters to God! Everything you say and everything you do and everything you think, matters to God. Nothing is hidden from God’s sight. Even when others may overlook your contribution, God never misses a moment of your life. God is omniscient, omnipotent, and omnipresent. Nothing slips through His comprehensive view. So whatever you do, whether speaking words that build others up or extending a helping hand, do it all under the authority of Jesus. You are saved and filled with the Holy Spirit to continue the ministry of Jesus upon the earth. Your conversation is vital to fulfilling the Great Commission. Your conduct is of utmost importance in living out the Great Commandment. As you share Christ with others and express His love to others, you will be doing God’s work God’s way. The motive behind your ministry to others is just as important as the benefits that your ministry produces. What compels you to put others first? What propels you to place the needs of others before your own? Are you motives pure? Speak and serve as a representative of Jesus Christ. You may be the only Jesus others see in their lifetime. Your conversation will either point people to Christ or repel them from Christ. Your conduct will either give evidence that Jesus is Lord of your life or demonstrate that He is not enthroned. Be sure to give thanks to God the Father as you serve Him by serving others. May your life be a portrait of gratitude for all that God has done and continues to do in you and through you. Drawing Near, Stephen Trammell Lead Pastor Follow me on twitter at: http://twitter.com/stephentrammell

Focus Motive Pleasing God

Defining Your Goal

“So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him.” 2 Corinthians 5:9 (ESV) We tend to live our lives trying to please others. Just about the time we feel as though we have reached the pinnacle of pleasing others, they change their mind. Trying to please others will be an endless pursuit. After hosting Dr. Robert Smith of Beeson Divinity School for a few days, he shared with me an amazing concept. He said, “Don’t fall in love with the Body (Body of Christ); fall in love with the Head. The Body is fickle. They will be singing ‘Hosanna’ on Monday and then ‘Crucify’ on Thursday, but the Father is faithful.” Does anything else matter more than living to please God? Is there any other pursuit that supersedes that of pleasing God? What are you currently giving your life to? What does a life that pleases God look like? It includes living worthy of the Lord, bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, speaking as one approved by God and entrusted with the gospel, and believing that God exists and rewards you as you earnestly seek Him (Col. 1:10, 1 Thes. 2:4, Heb. 11:6). Make God’s smile the goal of your life today. You may want to place a smiley face sticker on your dashboard near the speedometer in your vehicle to serve as a daily reminder of why you exist. You are alive to make God smile. Keep looking up to God and focus your energy on bringing pleasure to Him. Drawing Near, Stephen Trammell Lead Pastor Follow me on twitter at: http://twitter.com/stephentrammell

Love Ministry Motive

Love that Labors

“Remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.” 1 Thessalonians 1:3 (ESV) What prompted Jesus to leave the glory of Heaven in order to come to earth and be mistreated, misunderstood, and crucified? Why would Jesus leave an environment where He was worshipped and come to earth to be rejected by His creation? There’s one word to answer both questions: Love! The same sacrificial love Jesus exhibited on the cross is the kind of love that Paul affirmed in the believers in Thessalonica. This unconditional love prompted their labor in the Lord. Jesus demonstrated this labor of love on the cross between two thieves. One thief repented of his sin and received the forgiveness Jesus provided. Jesus announced to him that he would be with Him in paradise (Luke 23:43). The other thief ridiculed and rejected Jesus. However, Jesus loved both thieves unconditionally. What motivates you in your service to the Lord? Why do you do what you do? Allow the love of Jesus to be operative in your life. Find a need and meet it. Seek to demonstrate the love of Jesus through random acts of kindness. Remember the love Jesus has shown you and allow that reality to unleash unconditional love toward others. Do what Jesus did by loving the way Jesus loved. Continue the ministry of Jesus by loving people unconditionally and leading them to experience the love of Jesus eternally. You can make an everlasting impact on a person’s life by sharing the love story of God’s redemptive plan. Drawing Near, Stephen Trammell Lead Pastor Follow me on twitter at: http://twitter.com/stephentrammell

Faith Ministry Motive

Faith that Works

“Remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.” 1 Thessalonians 1:3 (ESV) You cannot work for your salvation. But once you experience salvation, you will want to work. The faith operative in your life will motivate you to do the work of God. Your faith will want to be expressed by your good deeds. Paul prayed for the church of Thessalonica and praised God for their work produced by faith. They gave evidence to genuine saving faith as they engaged in good deeds to bless others. Their work did not save them, but their salvation caused them to work consistently putting feet to their faith. “And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.” Heb. 11:6 (ESV) “ For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead.” Jas. 2:26 (ESV) God wants your good deeds to be produced by faith. As you grow in your daily love relationship with the Lord, you will have a heightened sensitivity to the activity of God. Each time you join God in His activity, you will be giving outward evidence of your inward faith in Christ. Being on mission with God requires a faith that works. Does your faith work? Is there fruit resulting from your faith? Deepen your faith by obeying what God says. Obedience is an indicator of genuine faith. As you obey, your good deeds will be fueled by faith. Drawing Near, Stephen Trammell Lead Pastor Follow me on twitter at: http://twitter.com/stephentrammell

Ministry Motive Thankfulness

Motive Behind Ministry

“And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” Col 3:17 (NIV) Everything matters to God! Everything you say and everything you do and everything you think, matters to God. Nothing is hidden from God’s sight. Even when others may overlook your contribution, God never misses a moment of your life. God is omniscient, omnipotent, and omnipresent. Nothing slips through His comprehensive view. So whatever you do, whether speaking words that build others up or extending a helping hand, do it all under the authority of Jesus. You are saved and filled with the Holy Spirit to continue the ministry of Jesus upon the earth. Your conversation is vital to fulfilling the Great Commission. Your conduct is of utmost importance in living out the Great Commandment. As you share Christ with others and express His love to others, you will be doing God’s work God’s way. The motive behind your ministry to others is just as important as the benefits that your ministry produces. What compels you to put others first? What propels you to place the needs of others before your own? Are you motives pure? Speak and serve as a representative of Jesus Christ. You may be the only Jesus others see in their lifetime. Your conversation will either point people to Christ or repel them from Christ. Your conduct will either give evidence that Jesus is Lord of your life or demonstrate that He is not enthroned. Be sure to give thanks to God the Father as you serve Him by serving others. May your life be a portrait of gratitude for all that God has done and continues to do in you and through you. Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor Follow me on twitter at: http://twitter.com/stephentrammell

Focus Motive Pleasing God

Defining Your Goal

“So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it.” 2 Cor 5:9 (NIV) We tend to live our lives trying to please others. Just about the time we feel as though we have reached the pinnacle of pleasing others, they change their mind. Trying to please others will be an endless pursuit. After hosting Dr. Robert Smith of Beeson Divinity School for a few days, he shared with me an amazing concept. He said, “Don’t fall in love with the Body (Body of Christ); fall in love with the Head. The Body is fickle. They will be singing ‘Hosanna’ on Monday and then ‘crucify’ on Thursday. The Father is faithful.” Does anything else matter more than living to please God? Is there any other pursuit that supersedes that of pleasing God? What are you currently giving your life to? What does a life that pleases God look like? It includes living worthy of the Lord, bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, speaking as one approved by God and entrusted with the gospel, and believing that God exists and rewards you as you earnestly seek Him (Col. 1:10, 1 Thes. 2:4, Heb. 11:6). Make God’s smile the goal of your life today. You may want to place a smiley face sticker on your dashboard near the speedometer in your vehicle to serve as a daily reminder of why you exist. You are alive to make God smile. Keep looking up to God and focus your energy on bringing pleasure to Him. Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor Follow me on twitter at: http://twitter.com/stephentrammell

Love Ministry Motive

Love that Labors

“We continually remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.” 1 Thess 1:3 (NIV) What prompted Jesus to leave the glory of Heaven in order to come to earth and be mistreated, misunderstood, and crucified? Why would Jesus leave an environment where He was worshipped and come to earth to be rejected by His creation? There’s one word to answer both questions: Love! The same sacrificial love Jesus exhibited on the cross is the kind of love that Paul affirmed in the believers in Thessalonica. This unconditional love prompted their labor in the Lord. Jesus demonstrated this labor of love on the cross between two thieves. One thief repented of his sin and received the forgiveness Jesus provided. Jesus announced to him that he would be with Him in paradise (Luke 23:43). The other thief ridiculed and rejected Jesus. However, Jesus loved both thieves unconditionally. What motivates you in your service to the Lord? Why do you do what you do? Allow the love of Jesus to be operative in your life. Find a need and meet it. Seek to demonstrate the love of Jesus through random acts of kindness. Remember the love Jesus has shown you and allow that reality to unleash unconditional love toward others. Do what Jesus did by loving the way Jesus loved. Continue the ministry of Jesus by loving people unconditionally and leading them to experience the love of Jesus eternally. You can make an everlasting impact on a person’s life by sharing the love story of God’s redemptive plan. Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor Follow me on twitter at: http://twitter.com/stephentrammell

Faith Ministry Motive

Faith that Works

“We continually remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.” 1 Thess 1:3 (NIV) You cannot work for your salvation. Once you experience salvation, you will want to work. The faith operative in your life will motivate you to do the work of God. Your faith will want to be expressed by your good deeds. Paul prayed for the church of Thessalonica and praised God for their work produced by faith. They gave evidence to genuine saving faith as they engaged in good deeds to bless others. Their work did not save them, but their salvation caused them to work consistently putting feet to their faith. “And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” Heb 11:6 (NIV) “As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.” James 2:26 (NIV) God wants your good deeds to be produced by faith. As you grow in your daily love relationship with the Lord, you will have a heightened sensitivity to the activity of God. Each time you join God in His activity, you will be giving outward evidence of your inward faith in Christ. Being on mission with God requires a faith that works. Does your faith work? Is there fruit resulting from your faith? Deepen your faith by obeying what God says. Obedience is an indicator of genuine faith. As you obey, your good deeds will be fueled by faith. Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor Follow me on twitter at: http://twitter.com/stephentrammell

Humility Motive Pride

Motives Matter

“You want something but don’t get it. You kill and covet, but you cannot have what you want. You quarrel and fight. You do not have, because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.” James 4:2-3 (NIV) Motives matter to God. Have you ever been the recipient of a gift that was given with impure motives? When motives are not right, the gift loses its impact. How you give is just as important as what you give. How you serve is just as important as the act of serving. How you do life is just as important as what you do with your life. God is all-knowing and all-seeing. In His omniscience, God detects the motives in which you operate your life. God looks beneath the surface of your good deeds to identify your true motives. Selfishness is an indicator of impure motives. Wrong motives will cause you to mistreat others in order to get what you want. “All a man’s ways seem innocent to him, but motives are weighed by the LORD.” Prov 16:2 (NIV) “‘Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.’” Matt 7:7-8 (NIV) What if we started with a boldness to simply ask God? If there is something we need, what keeps us from asking God who is the Creator and Sustainer of life? Why do we try to take life into our own hands and allow impure motives to infiltrate our decisions? Let’s commit to go to God! He is our sufficiency! Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor (This devotional was originally posted in ’07 or ’08. I’m taking a break from writing for a season of personal renewal.) Follow me on twitter at: http://twitter.com/stephentrammell

Eternity Motive Rewards Serving

Benefits of Serving (3)

“From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.” Eph 4:16 (NIV) God rewards your service both here and in the hereafter. There are immediate rewards for serving God and there are eternal rewards for serving God. In the here and now, your faith grows as you serve. As you exercise the spiritual gifts God has given you, God multiplies the impact and expands your faith. The body of Christ benefits from your faithful service and your personal faith deepens. Serving develops your spiritual muscles just as working out with weights develops your physical muscles. The motion of you joining God in His activity generates the need for God’s provision of strength, courage, and faith. Your love relationship with the Lord deepens as you live out your faith through daily serving to meet needs and to benefit others. Is your faith growing? Are you placing your “yes” on the altar each day and making yourself available for God’s use? Have you intentionally sought to exercise the spiritual gifts God has given you in order to benefit others? Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor

Eternity Motive Rewards Serving

Benefits of Serving (2)

“For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” Eph 2:10 (NIV) Salvation is a gift, not a reward. You cannot perform enough good works to earn salvation. You receive the gift of eternal life by the grace of God through faith in the completed work of Jesus on the cross. If salvation is a gift, how do good works add value? God graciously gave His best, Jesus, to pay the sin debt you owed. It is a gift. If you try to pay for the gift one has given, then you cheapen the gift. What can you add to the finished work of Jesus on the cross? His atoning work is complete. You were uniquely designed by God and for God. You are His masterpiece, His treasure, and the apple of His eye. You are His workmanship. He formed you and fashioned you for His glory. You are not an accident! You are here on purpose! You cannot add to the salvation that God provided to you by His grace through faith. However, as His workmanship, you are created to do good works and to serve. You don’t serve for salvation; you serve as a result of the salvation gift you have received. Good works are a result of a grateful heart. Gratitude for what God has initiated and our faith has activated results in good works. “Then will all your people be righteous and they will possess the land forever. They are the shoot I have planted, the work of my hands, for the display of my splendor.” Isaiah 60:21 (NIV) Are you willing to display God’s splendor today? You are His workmanship created in Christ Jesus to do good works! Who will benefit from your life of service today? Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor

Eternity Motive Rewards Serving

Benefits of Serving (1)

“Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows.” Gal 6:7 (NIV) The law of the harvest originates with God. As Creator of the universe, God has established the system upon which life exists and operates. You reap what you sow. God has made that a reality. There’s no need to be deceived and there’s no need to seek to mock God. “Sow for yourselves righteousness, reap the fruit of unfailing love, and break up your unplowed ground; for it is time to seek the LORD, until he comes and showers righteousness on you.” Hosea 10:12 (NIV) “Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness.” James 3:18 (NIV) Let’s connect the law of the harvest with how you live your life. Think about the way you invest your time, energy, and resources. How are you sowing your life in service to God? How are you currently investing in the Kingdom of God? You will reap what you sow. You can be absolutely sure that God’s Word is absolutely true. The law of the harvest is an absolute formulated by God. God knows what you have sown. God knows the motive behind what you have sown. God even knows what you will reap and when you will reap as a result of what you have sown and how you have sown. Your activity in God’s economy matters for eternity. Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor

Impact Motive

IMPACT (4)

“‘Be careful not to do your “acts of righteousness” before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.’” Matt 6:1 (NIV) You will make no Kingdom impact if you are serving yourself. If you are displaying acts of kindness to be applauded by others, you will limit the Kingdom impact available to you. God rewards your conversation and your conduct based on your motives. Motives matter to God. The world is enamored by the externals. God is not impressed. The heart of God is moved when a child of God is serving, giving, and living to bring glory to God. “But the LORD said to Samuel, ‘Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.’” 1 Sam 16:7 (NIV) “‘And you, my son Solomon, acknowledge the God of your father, and serve him with wholehearted devotion and with a willing mind, for the LORD searches every heart and understands every motive behind the thoughts. If you seek him, he will be found by you; but if you forsake him, he will reject you forever.’” 1 Chron 28:9 (NIV) Evaluate your motives. Why do you do what you do? Who are you trying to please? Is your heart pure? Pour your life out to bring glory to God. He alone is worthy! Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor