Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.
– Philippians 2:12-13
In our lives there are many different reasons we do things. Because of the financial obligations we are under, we have a job. For many, the job we choose involves a talent we possess and therefore we can get some satisfaction out of our employment. For most of us, our weeks and days tend to look somewhat similar. We are for the most part creatures of habit. We generally go to bed and wake up around the same time. When we choose to eat our meals and what our food preferences are have some variation, however we have some basic preferences that become routine in our life. There’s nothing wrong with this as these things create structure in our life.
There are other things we do that are simply out of obligation. Paying taxes, obeying speed limits, shoveling snow. The reason we do these things is because if we don’t there can be a negative consequence. So it’s better to just do them even though they can lack the enjoyment factor.
Guilt is another motivating aspect for doing certain things. Most of the time guilt comes from the remorse we feel. From there, we choose to do certain things we might not normally do. We can resolve to extend a sorrowful heart to others or to appease something within us. On the other hand, sometimes we do things because we are made to feel guilty by others. Despite the reason, guilt can be a powerful incentive to do things.
Tradition, especially within our families, is yet another reason we do things. When we are raised with certain traditions, they become those things that become expected. In many ways, the traditions we are raised with play a large role in who we become later. Some traditions are positive and bring health and enjoyment into our lives, while others are negative and have detrimental effects on our overall life.
An urgent situation or need in our own lives or the lives of others is another reason we find ourselves faced with choices and actions. These are for the most part unpredictable, but nonetheless need our attention. These are the things that simply need to be taken care of, usually in a timely and orderly fashion.
Then there are those things we do simply because we find enjoyment in it. Spending time with family and friends, recreation and hobbies, petting a dog, going for a walk. Are these life changing things? No. Enjoying something doesn’t need to affect anyone beyond ourselves and in that, our overall outlook can become more positive.
Which brings us to our faith in Christ, our Christianity and why we choose to go to church. The reasons can be different for each person and they can also change from season to season. Habit, routine, necessity, obligation, guilt, tradition, urgency or enjoyment are, if you really think about it, prime motivators of our faith and the reasons we go to church. The problem is, no matter the reason, when our motivation is based upon our reasons, our relationship with Christ becomes self-centered and therefore easily swayed like a kite dancing in the wind.
Our current emotional state, a sense of need or a burden of obligation or guilt cannot be the prime motivation to seek and serve Christ.
Paul says it so well in Philippians 2, giving us the true reason to make Christ our Savior and Lord…
Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.
Did you catch that? To serve Christ is not about allying our needs, wants or desires. Rather, it is about His will and His work in our life for His good pleasure. The beautiful, amazing, grace filled part is that when we finally yield to Christ and make only Him the reason we do anything, we receive a blessing beyond comparison.
Jason Metz, Lead Pastor
