Devotionals

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What's Your Motivation?

Then He said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.”

When Jesus called the disciples to follow Him, He had one main motive – to draw people into His kingdom. He doesn't want anyone to perish and wants all to come to Him, so that He can save them from their sins. His intention to have the disciples with him was to show them how to become fishers of men. The disciples followed – warts-and-all – and they became close friends to Jesus. They walked together, ate together, ministered together, went through testing times together, they became a family of sorts. But Jesus wanted their confidence to be in Him so that He could could rely on them to spread the gospel once He had gone.

Sometimes you hear what people feel called into ministry to do and the emphasis is all on 'them' and what 'they' are doing. Often, I ask myself, where's God in this? What's the point of this? What is this adding to the kingdom? A lot of ministries are there for encouragement, counsel, protection and other things, but ultimately they build people up so that they can go out and spread the good news of Jesus. The motivation is always to ultimately lead people to Christ-to enlarge His kingdom. Jesus would not call believers to do anything that is contrary to His word or destructive to believers. He would not hurt, crush or manipulate. So whatever you feel God calling you to do, you know that it will always tie in to the nature of God and be in compliance with the word of God. Anything contrary is false and should stop immediately. For example: God would not call you to live with a boyfriend/girlfriend (without marrying them first), in order to win them to Him. That is contrary to the word of God. Yes, He wants to win them to Him. But He's a big God and can manage without you having to fall into sexual immorality.

The disciples spent lots of time with Jesus. They spent time observing Him. They spent time listening and trying to help Him. They messed up and at other times, they got it right. They had to work on bad attitudes and issues in their own lives. But nonetheless, Jesus called them as they were and simply asked them to 'follow'. He was the one who was going to make them 'fishers of men'.

God isn't waiting until you are perfect before He can use you. He simply wants you to follow Him and be faithful. When we get to heaven, He isn't going to say “Well done, thy good and perfect servant,” more like, “Well done, thy good and faithful servant.”

Prayer:
Thank you, Lord, that you desire to spend time with me so that my confidence is in you when I fish for men. Thank you that you will equip me as I spend time in your word. Thank you that you're not waiting for me to be perfected but are ready to use me now. In Jesus name, Amen.

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