READY: “For which of you, intending to build a tower, does
not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to
finish it . . . ?” -Luke 14:28
SET: “Motivation” simply means “you have an inner drive that
causes you to do something or act in a certain way” – I think
that’s what Jackie Dugall was talking about when she said, "The
race isn't over until you cross the finish line. You'll be
surprised at how much can change in the last twenty strides."
Those last twenty strides are propelled by motivation and
motivation makes the difference in every athlete and coach . . .
and every believer!
“What separates athletes?” asked Wilma Rudolph, first female
athlete to win 3 Olympic Gold Medals in Track & Field, her
answer was, “Not ability but motivation.” From Luke 14:28, Jesus
is talking about finishing a project and the motivation to see
it to completion. He’s telling us there’s a “cost” involved –
the cost of motivation, whether you’re an athlete, coach, or
Christian, is the same.
First Cost: You must be willing to leave your comfort zone.
Motivation must push you, stretch you, and shape you, but that
only happens when you tie the laces of your running shoes and
you get up and go out and run the work out. I’ve told the
runners I’ve coached, “Remember, if you don’t run today, your
competition is.”
Second Cost: You must be willing to set priorities and keep
them. Motivation causes you to do “something” – I believe that
the spiritual has priority over the physical and the eternal has
priority over the temporary – meaning you must do things right
and you must do the right things, no matter if you’re running
laps, lifting weights or serving God.
Final Cost: You must be willing to overcome a divided heart.
Just think of what the little three letter word “but” has cost –
it was the word that Wilma Rudolph used between ability and
motivation. A motivated heart is a FULL heart – full of
confidence – believing that you CAN – challenging your excuses .
. . NO buts! A motivated heart is a PURE heart – purity means
clean living – playing the game by the rules and living a
God-honoring life . . . No buts! A motivated heart is an
undivided heart – an undivided heart resists the people, places
and pleasures that would try to pull you away from your
priorities you’ve set to live a God-pleasing life . . . No buts!
Let the Lord motivate you and watch how it separates you from
other athletes.
GO: 1. On a scale of 1 to 10 (10 being the highest) how would
you define motivation in your life? 2. Are you willing to leave
your “comfort zone” to run the work out? To follow Jesus? 3.
What’s the difference between “doing things right” and “doing
the right things”?
WORKOUT: Hebrews 11:6; Philippians 4:19 I Peter 1:5; I John
5:4
OVERTIME: Lord, I want to live motivated by Your presence,
promises and power in my life. Do what ever it takes. Amen.
