NEWS & THOUGHTS ARCHIVE

What Motivates You?

Evangelist Dr. Bob Sanders
February 1, 2010

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“shouldest thou therefore serve me for nought? tell me, what shall thy wages be? — Genesis 29:15 

Running for fear of his life, Jacob sought refuge in his uncle Laban’s tent. Jacob had not been there long until Laban asked him two questions; “shouldest thou therefore serve me for nought? and “tell me, what shall thy wages be? Both of these questions are revealed in our text. These questions reveal a great truth about service. All men serve something and all men serve for something! While it may or may not be true, I will naturally assume that the object of your service is the Lord Jesus Christ. This being the case, the question that cries for our attention is WHY? “What shall thy wages be?” Having settled the issue of who we are going to serve, the most important question to follow is “Why are we serving the Lord?” Jacob will work for the same man, for the same thing, and for the same amount of time with one and only one drastic difference; motivation! Jacob will work for Laban, for a wife, for seven years, and then repeat the process a second time. The only difference between the two events was Jacob’s motivation!  

Jacob worked the first seven years because of love, “And Jacob served seven years for Rachel; and they seemed unto him but a few days, for the love he had to her” (vs.20). The second seven years Jacob worked because of law, “And Laban said, It must not be so done in our country, to give the younger before the firstborn” (vs.26). The first seven years it was delight that compelled him to serve. When Jacob served the second seven years he was compelled by duty. For a lot of Christians, Jacob’s story is their story! They start out serving the Lord because they love Him. They couldn’t get over the fact that He would love them, die for them, save them, and ultimately one day take them to heaven. Then, one day love of service changed into the law of service, it was not that I get to serve God, but I have to serve God! What began as a willing choice becomes a woeful chain.

Since love and law accomplished the same task, the purchasing of a wife, should we even give any consideration to the motivation of service? While some would say that it does not matter so long as the job gets done, I’m not inclined to agree. There are several thoughts that must be taken into consideration when we ponder the motivation of service. One of the first things to consider is the emotions of service. The motivation of service determines the manner in which we see ourselves. Under love Jacob saw himself as a servant with the delightful privilege to serve another. Under law Jacob saw himself as a slave shackled to the demoralizing service of another. Your motivation determines how you feel about God as well as yourself! Service motivated by love made Jacob somebody! Service motive by law made Jacob nobody! In the first seven years, he saw himself as a servant, and man doing something honorable and worthy of esteem. The second seven years, Jacob became a demoralized slave to the ways of Laban. Jacob’s perception of Laban changed with his change in motivation. Previously, Laban was one worthy of Jacob’s labors, but now Laban was a tyrant and hard taskmaster that would always ask for more than should ever be required. We may not like the picture that is being painted, but there is a host of believers that hold God in the same contempt that Jacob held Laban and its all due to motivation. 

The second thing to consider in reference to motivation is the endurance of service. When Jacob’s motivation changed, he was always looking for a way out. Jacob would do what he had to do as long as he had to do it, but no more!  As soon as possible, Jacob would break free from the shackles of service to Laban. This great truth can be seen in the words of Jesus, “And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain” (Matthew 5:41). In accordance to the law, a Roman soldier could compel a person to carry their pack the distance of one mile. Some writers tell us that on all the roads leading out of town one would find a mound of stones marking the exact distance of one mile from town. The law may make someone carry that pack from town to that mound of rock, but not an inch farther. While love and law accomplish the same thing in the first mile, only love would endure the second mile. While the law is looking for a place to quit, love is looking to go farther! Paul reminds us in I Corinthians 13:7 that love endured all things. 

The last thing that we notice about motivation is the estimation of service, “And he went in also unto Rachel, and he loved also Rachel more than Leah . . . And when the Lord saw that Leah was hated” (vs.30-31). Motivation not only has an effect upon the one that is serving, but it has an effect upon the one being served. Have you ever tried to image the emotions of these two women and their estimation of Jacob’s service? Rachel could say, “Jacob delighted to work seven years for me and would have worked more if necessary.” What about Leah and how Jacob made her feel? “Jacob worked seven years and not a day more, all because he had to.” With that in mind, how do you think God feels about our motive toward serving Him? It is not only our mouth that declares our love for God, but so does our motivation for service! 

The question that is worthy of our consideration is, “What Motivates You To Serve God?”  

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