One of my favorite stories in the Bible is about the Lame Man. If you recall in that story, Jesus asked the Lame Man if he wanted to get well.  I thought that was an odd question for Jesus to ask. I thought surely the man wanted to get well or he wouldn’t be hanging out by the pool, hoping someone would push him in. I think the reason Jesus specifically asked the man if he wanted to get well was two-fold. The first reason Jesus asked the question was because He knew the lame man was going to have to do some work. Jesus knew He was going to ask the man to “pick up his mat and walk.” So the man had to be invested enough that he was willing to participate in his own healing. But the other reason I think Jesus asked the question was because Jesus knew this was going to change the man’s identity. He was no longer going to be the lame man. He was going to have to work for a living. He couldn’t take handouts anymore. He was going to be a freed, healed, and whole man. Jesus wanting the man’s participation. There is definitely a part we have to play. While we have a part to play, part of the way we do that is to stay in His word, to pray, and to be obedient to His prompting. “May God himself, the God who makes everything holy and whole, make you holy and whole, put you together—spirit, soul, and body—and keep you fit for the coming of our Master, Jesus Christ. The One who called you is completely dependable. If he said it, he’ll do it!” (1 Thessalonians 5:23-24 MSG)As you are thinking about the changes you need to make in your life and reflecting on how you want to be different and to become more like Christ, I encourage you, be in His word. But take some of that weight and pressure off your shoulders and remember that God will do the changing.

One of my favorite stories in the Bible is about the Lame Man. If you recall in that story, Jesus asked the Lame Man if he wanted to get well. I thought that was an odd question for Jesus to ask. I thought surely the man wanted to get well or he wouldn’t be hanging out by the pool, hoping someone would push him in. I think the reason Jesus specifically asked the man if he wanted to get well was two-fold. The first reason Jesus asked the question was because He knew the lame man was going to have to do some work. Jesus knew He was going to ask the man to “pick up his mat and walk.” So the man had to be invested enough that he was willing to participate in his own healing. But the other reason I think Jesus asked the question was because Jesus knew this was going to change the man’s identity. He was no longer going to be the lame man. He was going to have to work for a living. He couldn’t take handouts anymore. He was going to be a freed, healed, and whole man. Jesus wanting the man’s participation. There is definitely a part we have to play. While we have a part to play, part of the way we do that is to stay in His word, to pray, and to be obedient to His prompting. “May God himself, the God who makes everything holy and whole, make you holy and whole, put you together—spirit, soul, and body—and keep you fit for the coming of our Master, Jesus Christ. The One who called you is completely dependable. If he said it, he’ll do it!” (1 Thessalonians 5:23-24 MSG)As you are thinking about the changes you need to make in your life and reflecting on how you want to be different and to become more like Christ, I encourage you, be in His word. But take some of that weight and pressure off your shoulders and remember that God will do the changing.

Where Does Your Motivation Come From?It is completely possible to get motivated by competing with yourself. But you need to be specific when it comes to motivating yourself. Research has proven that simply telling yourself to “do your best” is a terrible form of motivation because it’s way too vague and it’s not obvious at all. And to make matters worse, it doesn’t line you up for success because what if your best isn’t actually your best? We can always do more and try harder so we should set goals and actually meet them. You can also motivate yourself by thinking about how good you feel after completing a project at work, or getting praise from your fellow employees or manager. Pretty awesome, right? Then compare that to how you feel if you ever take a sick day when you’re not actually sick or when you phone in a presentation when you got lazy and knew you could have done so much better. We all want to feel proud of ourselves and satisfied with our jobs, since we’re basically spending more time at the office than you do at home every week. At the end of the day, you have to live with yourself, so inspire yourself every day. Do what you can to get going even on your most exhausting days, whether it’s writing a motivational quote on a post-it note on your bathroom mirror, reading an inspiring how-to book or listening to your favorite music on the way to the office.Trust in God to know where He wants you to be. Wake up with a grateful heart and thank him for your blessings.Just doing these little things can help motivate you to do anything. Overcoming the negative thoughts and knowing that you have a purpose here and that you are a treasure in this world will change you.As for me my motivation is centered through Christ. God can be motivation for you to get through anything in life.

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