The Highest Motivation
What motivates you to do the things you do? The motivation to do something long term is difficult due to the circumstance, feeling, or other "force" that inspired the motivation is long gone. There is a quote that has been filtering around social media, that goes something like this: "Commitment means staying loyal to what you said you were going to do long after the mood you said it in has left you."
Making commitments is and should be a difficult thing. We too often commit ourselves to things prior to fully weighing the options, or counting the costs. Which in the end, causes us to forfeit our commitment for various reasons. Motivation however is a strong "force" that moves us from complacency to action. It drives us to make a change. It pushes us to action, whether that be for good or bad. Some of the major forces that move us are recognition, anger, determination, revenge, or a combination. Other factors may involve pride, need for fulfillment, loyalty, competition, tragedy, or others. Everyone needs to decide for themselves what it is they will allow to drive them everyday to put one foot in front of the other.
1 John 2:6 clearly states that if we abide in Him, we ought to walk in the same manner as Jesus walked. Jesus’ motivational forces has far-reaching implications for you as a son or daughter. What motivated Him? What drove Him? What was it that took Him to the cross and kept Him there? Jesus knew what He was going to endure out of obedience to His Father. Let's take a brief look at the suffering endured via Roman crucifixion (the following excerpt was taken from an article entitled Medical Aspects of the Crucifixion of Jesus Christ by David Teresaka, M.D.):
"...it appears likely that the mechanism of death in crucifixion was suffocation. The chain of events which ultimately led to suffocation are as follows: With the weight of the body being supported by the sedulum (seat), the arms were pulled upward. This caused the intercostal and pectoral muscles to be stretched. Furthermore, movement of these muscles was opposed by the weight of the body. With the muscles of respiration thus stretched, the respiratory bellows became relatively fixed. As dyspnea developed and pain in the wrists and arms increased, the victim was forced to raise the body off the sedulum, thereby transferring the weight of the body to the feet. Respirations became easier, but with the weight of the body being exerted on the feet, pain in the feet and legs mounted. When the pain became unbearable, the victim again slumped down on the sedulum with the weight of the body pulling on the wrists and again stretching the intercostal muscles. Thus, the victim alternated between lifting his body off the sedulum in order to breathe and slumping down on the sedulum to relieve pain in the feet. Eventually, he became exhausted or lapsed into unconsciousness so that he could no longer lift his body off the sedulum. In this position, with the respiratory muscles essentially paralyzed, the victim suffocated and died." (DePasquale, N. P. and Burch, G.E. "Death by Crucifixion", Am Heart J 66(3):. 434-435, 1963.)
Oh, and let's not forget that he was beaten, had a crown of thorns pounded into His head, spit on, hit in the face while blind-folded, whipped severely. "The Romans used a whip, called a flagrum or flagellum which consisted of small pieces of bone and metal attached to a number of leather strands." (David Teresaka, M.D.)
So I ask again. What motivated Him? Despite being in agony (Luke 22:44), what drove Jesus on towards the cross?
"Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross." (Philippians 2:5-8)
First of all, Jesus was motivated by obedience. This was His Father's will for His life. He was sent to suffer excruciating pain on the cross and die, so that all those who would believe, would have everlasting life (John 3:16). Jesus even requested of His Father, that if there was any other way, let it be (Matthew 26:39). But this was the will of God. Ultimately, Jesus was motivated by His love for His heavenly Father. The ultimate sacrifice, paid in blood, motivated by unending love.
"Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends." (John 15:13)
Do you abide in Christ? What motivates you to live the life you have been granted by the blood of Jesus? If you are a Christian, how can your motivational force be anything less than love?
