by Brad Jolly

Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works.  Hebrews 10:24

OK, all you parents and grandparents, when was the last time you intentionally set aside some time to think of ways to motivate your kids or grandkids to do those things which the Lord Jesus so longs to do through us?

In Ephesians 2:10, we read, “For we are God’s masterpiece.  He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.”

Jesus Christ is at work in us as believers to do “acts of love and good works” that model to the world the beauty of the Christ who lives inside of us.  While we are to spread the Gospel to to the world, they will see the genuineness of that Gospel message through our love and good works.

In John 15:5, Jesus says, “Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches.Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit.”

The key to producing genuine acts of love and good works is abiding in Christ.

So getting back to the original question of, how we do we motivate our kids, grandkids, or for that matter, friends, siblings, neighbors who are believers to these “acts of love and good works” that the verse is speaking of?  The answer is for us, ourselves, to abide daily in Christ.  When we do this, the life of Christ will overflow with his fruit of love and good works, as it says in John 15:5.  Seeing Jesus in us as we abide in Him will certainly be a motivation.  But God has called us also to think of ways to motivate one another.  Ask Jesus, how can I motivate those around me?  As you listen to him and abide in Him, he will give you ideas of ways to serve them, love on them, encourage them, help them.  As you do these things, abiding in Him, they will be motivated to follow your example of abiding in Jesus themselves and motivating others to do the same.