What Is Spirituality? (2 Of 7)

If we are going to be the SPIRITUAL INDIVIDUALS God wants us to be, we are going to have to have the same motives he had.

WHAT IS A MOTIVE? The dictionary describes it as “A conscious or unconscious need or drive that incites a person to some action or behavior.”

Illus: Someone has said, “The most motivated person on earth is a five foot, ten inch non swimmer in 6 feet of water”.

People today are motivated to do some strange things. Everyone is MOTIVATED by SOMETHING or SOMEONE.

Everything we do is motivated by SOMETHING or SOMEONE! But we always have to keep in mind that there is GOOD MOTIVATION and there is BAD MOTIVATION.

Illus: One afternoon, a wealthy lawyer was riding in the back of his limousine when he saw two men eating grass by the road side. He ordered his driver to stop and he got out to investigate.

• “Why are you eating grass?” he asked one man.

• "We do not have any money for food," the poor man replied.

• "Oh, come along with me then!”

• "But sir, I have a wife with two children!”

• "Bring them along! And you, come with us also,” he said to the other man.

• "But sir, I have a wife with six children!" The second man answered.

• "Bring them as well."

They all climbed into the car, which was no easy task, even for a car as large as the limo. Once underway, one of the poor fellows said, "Sir, you are too kind. Thank you for taking all of us with you."

The lawyer replied, "No problem, the grass at my home is about two feet tall. There will be plenty for all of you."

We have to always remember:

• All the things we DO

• All the things we WEAR

• All the things we SAY

Are done because we are motivated by something from within.

While many are motivated by the wrong kind of motives, there are many who are motivated by good motives.

Paul mentions some of the things that motivated him to be one of the greatest SPIRITUAL INDIVIDUALS to ever walk on this earth, other than the Lord Jesus Christ. We do not have time to list all the things that motivated Paul, but let’s look at two things that motivated him.

I. PAUL’S CONFIDENCE

Paul had great confidence in the God He served.

Sometimes we will hear someone talking about a successful person say, “I could do the same thing he or she has done if I had the advantages in life they had!”

But that is not true. You can take some folks and give them the same advantages and they will not do half as much with their life as someone else, because they do not have the motivation.

• A family can have two children that are raised in the same home with the same advantages. But one of them takes advantage of the things offered to them and makes something of their life and the other one does not.

• The same thing can be said in the family of God. People may go to the same church and have the same advantages, but some of them will take advantage of the opportunities offered to them and others will not.

WHAT MAKES THE DIFFERENCE IN THESE FOLKS? One will take success only if it is dumped in their lap, and the other one is highly motivated to make something out of their life.

This is the way the apostle Paul was, he had great sufferings, but he was so motivated that he was determined not to let anything stop him. Success was not just dumped into his lap, he was motivated to BE THE SPIRITUAL individual he was.

Look at the sufferings of Paul in 2 Cor. 11:24-28. This fellow had some tremendous obstacles in his life. He said, “Of the Jews five times received I forty stripes save one. Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I have been in the deep; In journeyings often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils by mine own countrymen, in perils by the heathen, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; In weariness and painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness. Beside those things that are without, that which cometh upon me daily, the care of all the churches.”

Paul did not have many advantages, but he did have a lot of CONFIDENCE in the God he served, and he was MOTIVATED to not allow ANYTHING or ANYONE to stop him. HIS MOTIVATION caused him to live each day: