Weekly Devotional: Seeking Encouragement to Be Motivated by God

“All the ways of a man are clean in his own sight, but the Lord weighs the motives.” – Proverbs 16:2

We all go through our daily lives seeking hope of some kind. Where we look for hope and motivation depends on who we are and the kind of faith we draw from our relationship with God. All of us want to rely on something that can get us up and out of our beds in the morning.

God has created us to be wired this way–to live, not by certain instincts, but rather by finding our identity in something. We want to find out what our meaning and purpose is, and this drive makes us eager to search for that missing puzzle piece. What we place our hope in will set the direction of our lives. We can have hope in many things, such as a dream, a location or even a person. This can shape not only the direction of our actions but also who we become as a person. We pour our time and energy into whatever we are seeking, and all we want is for it to deliver.

However, how easily we find that the things we grasp for and place our hope in fail us. Instead of finding peace and security, we face neediness and disillusionment. This is because we are anchoring our hope and motivation in the things of this world.

Hope Is Jesus Himself

“And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” – Matthew 28:20

Although we may think that our hope and motivation should be placed in a situation or goal, the only thing ultimately worth searching for is Jesus. Before putting time and energy into something, let's ask ourselves, "Will this be with me after my time on earth is over?” When you see that the answer is no, then you understand that the only thing that can be eternal in your spirit is Jesus.

The true statement we can fully rely on is that Jesus will always be by our side and never leave or forsake us. This is the hope and security that fuels our faith. If we decide to take this step of relying on our faith and resisting the temptations of this world, we will see what God can do in our life. If all the things of this earth that we put our hope in fail, God will still always be there with open arms of grace.

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