What is it that motivates us to serve the Lord? What is it that causes us to use our time, talents and treasure here at Chambers Hill United Methodists Church?  What is it that enables us to put Christ first in our lives?

Let’s be honest: Somtimes we serve the Lord for the wrong reason, with the wrong motivation. Sometimes we do what we do for what Jesus called “the praise of men.” Sometimes we give our time, talents and treasure in order to be noticed and appreciated by other people.

Juan Ortiz, a pastor in Argentina, described a student in his congregation who always seemed to be so busy.

Every time we approached him about something, he’d say “Oh, excuse me, pastor, but I have no time. I’m studying and I’m also working eight hours a day. So you can imagine how I can’t do anything more than that.  I can make the meetings once a week, but the rest of the time, I’m occupied.”

Then one day he fell in love. Suddenly he had time to visit his girlfriend three or four times a week. How did he do it? I don’t know. Love did it.

The Scripture is correct, you know.  ”We love because he [Christ] first loved us” (1 John 4:19). The Scripture is also correct when it proclaims that the greatest gift is love. But how does that translate into practical reality of everyday living?

Here’s how: What we love, we place importance upon. What we love, we take care of. What we love, we nurture and cultivate. What we love, we protect. What we love, we give our time and attention to. What we love (or really, whom we love), we obey.

In his book, Love in Action, Dr. David Jeremiah states,

Love insists we do something. Feelings follow action. Feelings are the fruit, not the root, of love. If you give your enemy something to eat or drink, something happens to your feelings. When you invest yourself in someone, you begin to feel differently toward him or her.

You see, it’s one thing to sing, “I love you, Lord, and I lift my voice to worship You, O my soul rejoice.” It’s entirely another to put that love into action by serving the Lord here at Chambers Hill United methodist Church.  It’s one thing to sing, “My Jesus, I Love Thee.” It’s entirely another to deomonstate that love through serving others in Christ’s behalf. It’s what one pastor described as “talking further down the road than we are walking.”

What motivates you in your Christian service? If it’s anything other than pure love for our Lord. why not ask God to create within you a heart that responds to the love shown for you on Calvary? And while you’re at it, why not ask God to show you how you can serve here at Chambers Hill United Methodist Church in a greater way in the days ahead?