I’m always inspired by church planters whose ministries explode. I think, “what awesome favor they must have with God! What powerful vision they must get every time they seek direction!” And on a more “physical” level, “What personal drive they must have to press on after such a lofty goal!” I look at people from my generation like Craig Groeschel and Steven Furtick and admire what they are accomplishing for the kingdom of God. Yet, although you may never write a book, proclaim the gospel of Jesus in front of thousands, or even deliver a lesson to your small group, we are all called to do our part without ceasing for the kingdom of God.

Today in my devotions, I started the book of 1 Thessalonians and was reminded of what our motivation for life as a Christian should be. It states, “We remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Thessalonians 1:3 NIV)”

Broken down plainly, the first part is saying our work should be proof of our faith. This is where many people get bent out of shape with the “salvation by faith not works” stuff, which I completely agree with… but if you truly have faith that Jesus is who he claims he is then you should be working your tail off for him! Your work should be produced and driven by your extreme faith!

Then, your labor should be prompted by love (my bible says “labour.” It reads classier that way I guess…). About a year ago, I, along with a bunch of other youth pastors, did an entire year of sermons on the concept of being compelled by love. The gist of it was this, what would our lives look like if we made every decision in life based on God’s love for his people? Most of us would say our lives would look drastically different. Less junk in our houses. More volunteering time to help those in need. More finances put towards mission and the things God cares about. Less fear of what anyone else thinks. Less fear, period! (“There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.” 1 John 4:18 NIV)

And lastly, our endurance should be inspired by hope. I’ve seen a lot of people go further than they ever have before just because they believed in the cause. We, as Christians, have the greatest cause known to man! The hope of eternal life that only comes through Jesus Christ! If that doesn’t drive you to go further, tell more people about the love of God, push yourself to the furthest possible point, then you need to get back into the presence of God and get yourself re-inspired! It’s not even endurance as much as a fear of quitting to soon and somehow missing a God-ordained appointment where you had the opportunity to spread His hope! Be inspired to do something big! God-sized even! Endure for the sake of the calling of spreading that hope!

So may your extreme faith push you to work harder for the Kingdom of God than you ever have before. May the direction of your work be guided by the love that comes from the father. And may the hope that He gives inspire you to go to lengths you never thought possible before.