What is our motivation?

What is the reason behind all that we do as God's people?

Why are we in relationship with people?

Is it because we love people?

Is it because we want to be in relationship with people?

Is it because we want to have friendships, relationships and loving communities?

Or is it because we want to grow a church?

Is it because we want to see people become Christians?

Is it because we want to raise our own profile and the profile of the church?

I am deeply challenged today by my own motivation and reasoning as to why I meet with people.  I realise that there are times that I view a friendship simply as a means to tell them about Jesus or to get them to be a part of the church planting we are doing.  I am deeply convicted that I have put conditions on relationships.  

God simply loves us.  He loves us because he loves us.  There are no conditions to his love.  There is no agenda to his love.

I am called to love people because I love them.  There should be no agenda to my being in relationship with them.  Whatever they believe, I am called to love them.  I am called to feed the hungry because they are hungry, not to get them into church.  I am called to help the oppressed because they are oppressed, not to get them into church.

I want all people to encounter the love of Jesus, but my love for people should entirely be because I love them not because of any other goal or motivation.

I am really challenged today.  What about you?