Words by David Hollows
Our Motivating God
'I will praise you, O Lord, with my whole heart, I will tell of all your marvellous works and wonderful deeds. I will rejoice in you and be high in spirits. I will sing praise to your name. O Most High.'
(Psalm 9 verses 1 and 2).
A prayer:
May none of God’s wonderful works keep silence, night or morning. Bright stars, high mountains, deep seas and rushing rivers, may all of these break into song as we sing to the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. May all the angels in heaven reply: Amen! Power, praise, honour and eternal glory belong to you, God, the only giver of grace and life.
Amen
Praise time; come with confidence into the presence of almighty God and bring to Him your songs of gratitude for all He has given to and done for you in the past few days. You may wish to use CDs or YouTube and you may wish to include the following song;
Come on and celebrate (Mission Praise 99)
Photo by Dan Meyers via Unsplash
Prayers; please continue in the presence of God as you speak with Him to thank Him for all the many gifts you have received from Him. You may wish to include the following prayer:
Worthy of praise from every mouth, of confession from every tongue, of worship from every creature, is your name glorious, O Lord. For you created the world in your grace and by your compassion you have saved the world. To your majesty, O God, thousands and thousands bow down and adore you, singing and praising you, the Lord of hosts. Heaven and earth are full of your praises. Hosanna in the highest.
Amen.
Bible reading: Hebrews chapter 11 verses 23 to 29 (if you have time, please read the whole chapter)
Key idea: motivated by faith, Moses left Egypt behind him
(Hebrews chapter 11 verse 27)
What motivates you to get out of bed in a morning? What motivates you to live your daily life? Family, friends, work, holidays?
What motivates you to plough your way through the routine of life? There used to be a celebrity on TV called Mr. Motivator who encouraged people to be physically active and engage in all sorts of routines to improve our physical health. Jane Fonda had for a while a similar role and both of these people would be very much at home in the current Government drive to reduce obesity through healthy eating and physical activity such as cycling.
What or who motivates you with your faith journey?
Some people attend house groups or Bible study groups for encouragement. The Methodist ‘class’ system was a proven way of supporting people with their faith. Hebrews chapter 11 is an amazing record of key Biblical people who were motivated by God to be part of His plan. Moses was motivated because of injustice, Joseph by the threat of famine, Esther by the possible total destruction of the people of God. These and so many more, all motivated by the faith, simple or strong, that they had in a God who loves His people and wants the best for them. Chapter 11 is a snapshot of the faith of some of the key people in God’s story and this story continues today. God’s story does not stop at Pentecost; the book of Acts demonstrates this. Rather, this unique story continues to the present day to include saints such as Mother Theresa and Martin Luther King.
God’s story also includes us and will continue long after we are called to eternity. Just like Samson, Ruth, Timothy and Lydia, we too are motivated by our faith in the true and living God.
So, how does God motivate us?
He may speak to us through His Holy Spirit, through the Bible or through others. He may encourage us in worship or in a House group or through our friends at church. He may motivate us to come closer to Him in our faith during the tough times of our lives when there is pain, sorrow, hurt, loss and all we want to do is stay under the duvet and ask the world to go away. In all of these testing times, God stays with us and uses these difficult experiences to build our faith.
Why does God motivate us?
God gives us so many gifts as Christians as an investment. He has a plan for our lives and we each have a unique part to play in growing His Kingdom. Our faith in a faithful God motivates us to worship Him, spend quality time in prayer with Him and reading His Word. We are motivated to serve others, to be obedient to God’s call upon our lives, time, talents and money. Above all, we are motivated to love God and love others just as Jesus asked His disciples to do and that includes us.
God wants us to be the person He has planned us to be and that we should become an ambassador for Him, a disciple of Jesus, a friend to others and a child whom God can love intensely.
Our motivation is clear: to love and serve others that they come to know the love and saving grace of God in Jesus.
How are your motivation levels at the moment? Need a boost? Then go to God and be recharged.
Photo by Grant Ritchie via Unsplash
A prayer of response:
My Father, I abandon myself to you. Do with me as you will, whatever you may do with me, I thank you and am prepared for anything. I accept everything provided that your will is fulfilled in me for I ask for nothing more. I place my soul in your hands with all the love of my heart because you are my Father.
Amen.
Prayers for others: as you come now to God with your prayer requests for others, ask God to show you how you can be a part of the answer to your prayer. This may involve spending time with the person in your prayer either face to face, on the telephone or by social media. This may involve writing a letter or email or signing a petition.
Whatever your prayer, be motivated to be in your prayer and not just say the words. You may wish to include the following prayer;
Lord God Almighty, teach us to understand that every life is sacred and we pray for the terminally ill patient, the handicapped child and the disabled adult in our world. Remind us that every human being is made in your likeness and we pray for those who commit atrocious acts, whose hearts are full of hatred for others and for those who deliberately hurt others. We pray for those you will use this day to heal, support and encourage others. Father, we ask this prayer and all our prayers in the name of Jesus.
Amen.
The Lord’s Prayer
Praise time; now please use whatever time you have to sing your favourite songs/hymns to God. You may wish to include the following hymn;
Jesus is Lord (Mission Praise 367)
The Blessing:
May the love of Jesus draw you to Himself. May the power of Jesus strengthen you for His service. May the joy of the Lord fill your soul. May the blessing of God Almighty, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, be with you now and always.
Amen
Extra; if you have access to YouTube either on-line or TV, please try this new worship song;
He knows my name – Paul Baloche
Thank you for sharing your worship with us. God bless you