”One day Jesus said to his disciples, “There will always be temptations to sin, but what sorrow awaits the person who does the tempting! It would be better to be thrown into the sea with a millstone hung around your neck than to cause one of these little ones to fall into sin. So watch yourselves! “If another believer sins, rebuke that person; then if there is repentance, forgive. Even if that person wrongs you seven times a day and each time turns again and asks forgiveness, you must forgive.” The apostles said to the Lord, “Show us how to increase our faith.” The Lord answered, “If you had faith even as small as a mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘May you be uprooted and be planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you! “When a servant comes in from plowing or taking care of sheep, does his master say, ‘Come in and eat with me’? No, he says, ‘Prepare my meal, put on your apron, and serve me while I eat. Then you can eat later.’ And does the master thank the servant for doing what he was told to do? Of course not. In the same way, when you obey me you should say, ‘We are unworthy servants who have simply done our duty.’” As Jesus continued on toward Jerusalem, he reached the border between Galilee and Samaria. As he entered a village there, ten men with leprosy stood at a distance, crying out, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” He looked at them and said, “Go show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were cleansed of their leprosy. One of them, when he saw that he was healed, came back to Jesus, shouting, “Praise God!” He fell to the ground at Jesus’ feet, thanking him for what he had done. This man was a Samaritan. Jesus asked, “Didn’t I heal ten men? Where are the other nine? Has no one returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?” And Jesus said to the man, “Stand up and go. Your faith has healed you.”“
Luke 17:1-19 NLT
Motivation matters. Why you obey Jesus is as important as the obedience. These verses begin with Jesus warning against temptation and sin. Part of being a Christian is being in a faith community where we lovingly rebuke each other when there is sin, guard each other from temptation, and endlessly forgive all who repent. The disciples understood how hard these commands were (and still are), so they asked for more faith. The next verses give three motivations to follow the harder (but better) way of Christ.
Follow Jesus out of gratitude. Like the one leper who came back to praise Jesus, focus on all Christ has done for you and live a life of thanksgiving to Him.
Follow Jesus out of duty. Jesus is the King. We have come to realize that He is God, the Lord of the universe. We have also realized that we are not the lords of the world, and it is our privilege to serve Him. In this serving and surrender, find purpose and freedom and joy.
Follow Jesus because you have been forgiven—by God most of all, and also by others. This leads to gratitude and duty—forgive others because you are thankful that you have been forgiven and because you know it is the right thing to do. Being forgiven is a huge motivator to follow the Savior.
It is important to take time every day to focus on your motivation to follow Christ. Life will distract you and soon you will be in cruise control with your faith. Those who are on fire for God constantly remember their reasons for following; they remember their salvation, they remember their forgiveness, and they live in gratitude. Find your motivation and shine His love.
What is your motivation for obeying and following Jesus? Which one of the three motivations could you use more of in your life?
