Motivations of the Heart: Love Above ALL

I heard a story told once about a group of friends on their way home after a fun night in the town.

One of the friends insisted on taking charge of fuelling up the car. At this point, it seemed like the wise thing not to engage in an argument with a rather intoxicated individual, hence everyone gave in and hoped for the best. Little miss helpful proceeded to yank the pump off its hook, without looking, and began to pour fuel into the almost brand-new car. Halfway into it, perhaps 20 litres in, it became apparent she was putting diesel in a petrol car.

There was a real possibility of being stuck at a petrol station on a cold winter night but a mutual loyal friend came to rescue the girl gang from their woes (the girls were clued up enough to know that they could not start or drive the car with wrong fuel because it would damage the engine and ruin the car irreparably). They had to wait for the rescuer to take them home while the car was towed to a mechanic garage where the tank was drained/cleaned. 

In this silly, hilarious, story, there is a vital lesson for life: that nothing can run on the wrong fuel and survive damage. In fact, running on the wrong fuel is most definitely bound to cause wreckage. The use of fuel in this context is figurative for heart motivations, meaning, that which drives us to do the things we do - specifically in ministry within the life of church.

Motivations of the heart are like fuel, they drive us to function in various spaces of life we find ourselves in. Various things motivate people. For example, in the workplace, we may be driven by passion or money, in relationships it may be loneliness or a need for companionship, and in ministry it is possible to be driven by a hunger for fame or a search for significance or an appetite for success or desire to be needed or approval addiction or attraction to power and authority. The list goes on, but a common thread runs through some of these I listed: they are all focused on the success of self - hence inward looking.

Self success is in line with individualism. It is what I like to call the spirit of the era we are living in, where people are generally all about what works for them, the ambition to make it in life, popularity/fame and everything that leads the self to success. This is the worst fuel to run on when serving God or building His church, as it almost always leads to burn out or church hurt because when the motivations are off, the fruit tends to follow suit. 

I believe Love for others is, or rather should be, the motivation for all that we do in the life of church and ministry. An outward focus that seeks to give oneself to God and others for the purposes of His kingdom. 

By definition, ministry is a service or function to people. In national governance, the use of the word ministry refers to a service available, or rendered to, the people. For example, the Ministry of Defense provides protection and security for a nation through the devotion of services from women and men in the defence forces i.e. the navy, army etc. These men and women give their lives to serve their countries within the Ministry of Defense. The two motivations may vary from Christianity to Ministry of Defense, but the idea is the same: ministry is hinged on service.

In Christendom, there is a similar aspect of devoting our lives in ministry which is a kind of sacrificial offering of who we are to build the people of God, who are the church. It means being instrumental in and on the journey people are taking with God. Therefore, ministry cannot be done out of any other motivation than the agape love of God. This life-giving power of God's love, which is ‘poured out in our hearts by the holy spirit’ (Romans 5:5), is what gives vitality to ministry. It is what produces ‘fruit that remains’ (John 15:16), a kind of fruitfulness that does not fade or exhaust you in the process. THAT is what success looks like in ministry.

There is nothing wrong with success because it can be a natural result from serving people in ministry well or living a good life as a child of God. Scripture confirms this in 2 Corinthians 3:18, “we go from glory-to-glory,” and Proverbs 4:18 tells us that “our paths shine brighter and brighter.” However, we encounter problems if the end result of gaining worldly success is what motivates our ministry.

The life and ministry of Jesus, when he walked the earth, was a blueprint example of a life given to service out of true love. We read that Jesus was moved with compassion, in Mark 1:41, then healing occurred. His motivation to heal the man in this passage of scripture was purely out of love for him, not bait to get him born again or to come to church [the synagogue] or to show how powerful God is, but true love birthed a ministry moment. There are few more times we see Jesus serving and ministering to people as a result of being compassionate:

 When the Lord saw her, He felt compassion for her and said to her “Do not weep”

~ Luke 7:13

 Seeing the people He felt compassion for them because they were distressed and dispirited like sheep without a shepherd.

~ Matthew 9:36

And Jesus went forth and saw a great multitude and was moved with compassion toward them and he healed their sick.

~ Matthew 14: 14

These examples, and many more, teach us that ministry in church or in the marketplace is about serving the people of God: it is about the people. Loving people so that it moves us to function within our giftings to provide service in whatever way, shape or form we are graced to do so. The motivation is Love for God, and consequently, for His people. There is simply no substitute for agape love. 

The challenge is then, to ask ourselves each time we are preparing a message to preach, planning an event or conference, visiting the elderly in nursing homes, going to a prayer meeting, working on church staff, leading teams or functioning in any area of service in ministry: “Do I love what I get to do or do I love the people I get to serve?” “Is this about me having an opportunity to utilise my giftings or about genuinely allowing God to work through me to serve His people?” “Is this about my title as a pastor or is this about the function and the labour of love that is embodied in the title?” “Ultimately, is this about me or about the people God has called me to?”

Questions such as these will hopefully help to continuously re-centre us and reset the motivations of our hearts to remain rooted in service that emanates from an authentic Love for God and His people. To be filled and driven by the right fuel that is Love.