by Linzy Slayden
Most of the motives in this world can be identified with money, position, or power. Now, there is nothing wrong with achieving a better job or a higher standard of living, provided you don’t stop there, and provided you don’t measure success in those terms. Some of the greatest people who ever lived gladly surrendered money, power, and position to achieve real living. By the standards of today’s world, even the Lord Jesus would be considered a failure.
As Christians, our standards must be spiritual and our motives must be spiritual. The highest standard is the glory of God, and the highest motive is the love of God. When you put them both together, you have a tremendous force for good.
Folks ask the question, “What am I getting out of this?” Perhaps what we get out of it determines what we put into it. Peter asked the question one day, “Lord, we have left everything to follow you. What are we going to get?” Peter took a giant step forward when he said to that beggar in Acts 3, “Silver and gold have I none, but such as I have give I thee.” Peter moved from “What will I get?” to “What can I give?” when he heard the cock’s crow, and when he saw Jesus Christ looking at him in love. His heart was broken, and he wept bitterly. It was then that he realized how much he needed the love of Christ to motivate his life.
If our lives are motivated by less than the love of Christ, they will be empty and dull. No matter how much we get, we will not enjoy it. It is love that makes life exciting and enriching. It is love that puts value into life.
Christian love cannot be manufactured. We can pretend for a short time, but eventually the masquerade has to come to an end. Love is a living thing because it flows from the heart of God. Let me remind you of 1 John 4:19, Galatians 5:22, Romans 5:5, and other passages. When the Spirit of God comes in, love also comes in. This means that if you and I will yield to the Sprit, He will fill our hearts with love and cause that love to control and motivate us. Actually, we are to become channels of His love to this world.
The glory of God and love for souls should be the dominating motivation in our spirits to do the great work of God. God is glorified when we work together to give souls across the street in America and souls around the world the life-saving, soul-saving gospel of Jesus Christ.
There will no doubt be ongoing issues for our movement. It will not get any easier if the BBFI continues to emphasize differences that exist instead of the common ground we have among ourselves. Let’s put aside secondary issues and pull together for the glory of God and a love for souls.