Matthew 09:37-38 Are You Motivated To Work As God’s Servant? – Audio

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Introduction

• The word motive denotes that which influences, prompts, propels, pushes, or induces a specific action. It causes you to move in a direction, so you can receive a specific outcome. I like to describe it as the fire that gets under you to move you to action, or in God’s service. (exp) What will motivate you into service for God, because there’s plenty of work to do – Matthew 9:35-38?
• A servant or steward is a person that takes care of things that belongs to another (God owns everything – Psalms 24:1). A servant has responsibility to make sure the owner’s goods are well taken care of.  This responsibility makes the servant accountable to the master, of the goods.  The servant would receive a reward or punishment depending on how well he took care of the owner’s goods (Romans 14:12). This is why being motivated to serve God is important. To be motivated you must be excited about it.
• The thing that should excite us into God’s service is the Word of God – Hebrews 4:12.  One of the best examples of the Word of God motivating one to a certain action is found in Acts 9:1-6; Acts 22:6-16.

Some Will Need Encouragement to Motivate Them to Serve God

• The word encourage, means to inspire with confidence, to urge forward one to start or continue in an action. What will motivate you, to work as a servant of God? People need different types of sources of motivation to get them going in the right direction.  It was a little maid of the land of Israel that motivated Naaman to go to Elisha to be healed of his leprosy (2 Kings 5:2-9). Again it was one of Naaman’s servants that encouraged him to dip seven times in the Jordan river to be healed, instead of going away in a rage an being not healed (2 Kings 5:10-14). Sometimes it takes many encouragements to get us moving because we may be stubborn or lazy.
• When the Word of God is preached, it is for the express purpose of encouraging you and moving you to righteous actions – 2 Timothy 3:16-17.  Consider the things we could do for the kingdom if we were motivated to do so!
• How many times have you been ready to quit, but someone encouraged you to continue on? Was not Elijah the prophet encouraged by God to continue on when he thought he was by himself alone serving God – (1 Kings 19:9-10, 15-18).

(Read the Story of Two Frogs)
A group of frogs were traveling through the woods, and two of them fell into a deep pit. When the other frogs saw how deep the pit was, they told the two frogs that they were as good as dead. The two frogs ignored the comments and tried to jump up out of the pit with all their might. The other frogs kept telling them to stop, that they were as good as dead. Finally, one of the frogs took heed to what the other frogs were saying and gave up. He fell down and died.

The other frog continued to jump as hard as he could. Once again, the crowd of frogs yelled at him to stop the pain and just die. He jumped even harder and finally made it out. When he got out, the other frogs said, “Did you not hear us?” The frog explained to them that he was deaf. He thought they were encouraging him the entire time.

Servants of God Must Be Motivated to Remain Faithful

• A key component, in being motivated to remain faithful, is to make sure your zeal for God, doesn’t grow cold – Galatians 5:7.  Whenever the excitement for serving God diminishes you need to be careful because Satan will be near to turn you away from God – (1 Peter 5:8-9).  That’s why it is important to focus on doing the Lord’s work.  Remember what happened to Peter when he was walking on water and lost his focus off Jesus – Matthew 14:27-31.
• In 1 Corinthians 4:2, the Word of God, gives a requirement to those whom would be His servants/steward. It is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful.
  ♦ What type of servant will the lord make ruler over his household? Matthew 24:45-47.
  ♦ There is also a warning to those servants whom fail to do his master will – Matthew 24:48-51.

• Therefore, let us not be lazy or slothful in doing the work of the Lord.  Let us not make excuses.  You and I have talents, so let us be motivated, to do the Lord’s work, because the fields are already white ready to be harvested – John 4:35-36.

Salvation:  Hear - Believe - Repent - Confess - Be Baptized - Live Faithfully