Titus Series: Motivation

Last week I wrote about the 5 attributes pushed by Paul in the book of Titus that should be taught and modeled. I promised to explore each of the five, so I begin that today.

I begin with motivation because the idea came up in the comments section of my last post. I openly wondered what is the ultimate motivation or drive behind the actions of non-believers. I still wonder, and I hope the non-believers following this blog will help me out with this. More importantly for me, I think I need to analyze what I'm motivated by and what I ultimately want from my actions.

In the book of Titus, Paul calls us to take daily action to represent Christ well and to bring him glory. For myself, then, at the end of the day I've got to ask: Did I do what I did today to bring Christ glory? Did my actions represent him well?

Unfortunately, here are many of my other motivators:
- pride
- my own glory
- maintaining comfort
- getting attention (espcially when I'm complaining)
- immediate gratification or quick pleasure

It's the thought that counts, goes the old saying. Paul supports that theory. Am I writing this blog so that people will like what I say, or so that I bring glory to God? Are my actions in my marriage an attempt to make myself happier through someone else, or to show the world the sacrificial and joy-filled type of love Christ had for his church? When I have a party at my house, is my goal to forget about my problems, or to celebrate the gifts I've been given? All of these actions are great, but only with the proper motivation.

As with most other things in Christianity, it all comes down to the death of the self. Think about myself less, think about God more. If the Bible is true, I exist to represent Christ well and bring him glory. Luckily, deep joy is one way to represent Christ well. A couple of applicable quotes:

"God threatens terrible things is we will not be happy." - Jeremy Taylor

"God is most glorified in me when I am most satisfied in Him." - John Piper

Everybody wants to be happy. One person will act one way, and another will act in a completely opposite way, both with the goal of being happy. The Bible argues that the most joy, the most happiness, comes in seeking to glorify God and represent Him well. Enjoy God; celebrate His gifts. Infinite joy is offered by God when He is the end that is sought. Temporary (and self-focused) joy comes in seeking happiness through anything else. My lifetime is a written history of a never-ending joy I receive when fully seeking God and of brief moments of pleasure (at best) when fully seeking anything else. And like a foolish child, I'm sure tomorrow, at some point in the day, I'll be motivated by something other than God. I'll put a cap on my happiness. What's the definition of stupidity, again?

Miller writes in "Million Miles" that "If you want to know what a person's story is about, just ask them what they want. If we don't want anything, we are living boring stories, and if we want a Roomba vaccum cleaner, we are living stupid stories" (124). I agree. What I want defines the story I'm in and the value of the story. Motivation not only matters - it is essential. I must know why I do what I do.