Motivations

I listened to a lesson this week that sounded great, but of course, I thought too much about it and while it makes a lot of sense on one hand, it also raises some challenges on the other hand.

The lesson talks about how in our typical western mindset we push ourselves to not sin with a thought process that feeds our very sin nature. For example, we don’t want to lie because we should be better than that, or we do not do something we shouldn’t because we could be seen and people would see our obvious faults, or parents tell a child not to lie because they will get caught in their lies and it is all ME driven. The very act of not sinning causes a sinful pride to grow in us. The reverse also works, we do something we should because we think we somehow get some kind of brownie points and our kind act ends up causing pride. It reminds me somewhat of Dallas Willard talking about “The Gospel of Sin Management.” He talks about how we should be marked so much more by our love than by what we do, or do not do, on the outside.

Tim Keller addresses the issue by saying religion operates on the principle that I obey and therefore God accepts me but the Gospel operates on the premise that God accepts me because of what Jesus Christ has done for me and therefore I obey. Both look similar on the outside, but are driven from profoundly different motives.

The obvious goal is for good behavior to be the natural outflow of a sinner saved by radical grace and welcomed into relationship with Christ. It should be so easy, we know what God has done for us and we know we are so undeserving! Naturally, after what Jesus has done for us we should want to make choices that would please Him in every aspect of life – right? As much as that makes sense, it just doesn’t seem to be the reality that most of us live in. Given a non perfect reality aren’t we then to impose our beliefs on ourselves simply because we know the Truth and know we need to do what is right? Maybe I am looking at the question wrong or the challenge incorrectly, but if that is the question then yes, I do think we need to act correctly even if that would not be our hearts natural inclination. I also think we need to hope to get to a better place.

I hope our goal is to be truly transformed and to begin to desire the things God has for us, and begin to truly desire to please him in every area of life. The challenge is how do we get that to happen? How do we get beyond doing what we should because we know we should? How do we not allow following God's law to become ritualistic and meaningless? What is our role and what is the Holy Spirit’s role?

I know I can’t answer all of those questions, but I have a few thoughts. I think if we could live with an internalized gratefulness for what God has done for us and offers us daily then we would be more drawn to living in response to that. I think it would be worthwhile to cultivate a sense of gratefulness which notices and recognizes the goodness of God in the big and little moments of life. I think I am heading towards the goal when I try to connect with God in real, authentic ways, telling Him the truth about where I am, but also telling Him that I know He is the one who can create that true goodness within me. I’m sure I have said this before, but I remember Tim Elmore teaching us that emotions follow motion. I’m sure that doesn’t satisfy the relationship based emergents, and I’m open to learning more about how others would answer the questions, or for that matter, even how others would ask the questions.