“We 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 Thessalonians 1:3
People do different things for many different reasons. Some will go to the gym to exercise on a regular basis because they want to look great, while others are trying to be in good shape so that they may stay healthy. Graduates of high school often push through the challenges of college to earn a degree so that they may get a better paying job. There are many other things that people do because of some type of motivation to get them done.
Motivation to do something can come in satisfaction, contentment, power, prestige, honor, or other ways. Depending on the person, what works as a motivation for one person, will not be enough for another.
Paul was looking at the Thessalonians and saw what they were doing. All of their actions were motivated by something else. Their work was motivated by faith. They knew that they were saved by faith, not by their works, so they wanted to do good works for God.
They worked hard because of love. This love was the love God had for them and it was the love they had for God and others.
They endured the hardships of the work and labor because of the hope that they had in Jesus Christ. They knew that in the end they would inherit eternal life with God in heaven. They knew that God would work in and through them to do great things.
Doing difficult things can be very difficult and hard at times. To keep doing them is even harder yet.
Look to what Jesus had gone through to bring you the salvation you are able to enjoy. He endured leaving heaven, dying on the cross, and being rejected by God for a time. This was all done through faith in His Father, the love to and of His Father, and the hope of His Father.
What motivates you today? What are you being motivated to do today?
Are you living your life for Jesus and for others? Or are you living it for yourself?
I pray today that you will know the love of Jesus; that you will be filled with faith in Jesus; that you will have the hope Jesus gives; that you will work to do the work of God; and that God will use you to draw many to Jesus.
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