The Los Angeles Lakers are NBA Champions for the 17th time while LeBron James just won his fourth title!
LeBron’s remarkable career has been followed by the sports world since he made his ESPN debut during high school. He has accomplished incredible feats on and off the floor including MVPs, Gold Medals, a scoring title, an assist title, Rookie of the Year, and Athlete of the Year.
As a business mogul, family man, and social justice advocate, he’s as driven and hardworking of an athlete as we’ve ever seen and it’s amazing to see how well he continues to play at the age of 35.
So the question is, what motivates him to keep training, continue winning, and remain dedicated to his team? What fuels his work ethic and willingness to keep playing after all that he’s accomplished?
I imagine he has multiple reasons for why he continues to chase championships and improve areas of his game year after year, but he recently made this comment, which reveals at least one thing that gives him motivation:
“I think personally thinking I have something to prove fuels me…It fueled me over this last year and a half since the injury.
“It fueled me because no matter what I’ve done in my career to this point, there’s still little rumblings of doubt or comparing me to the history of the game and ‘Has he done this, has he done that.’
“So having that in my head, having that in my mind, saying to myself, why not still have something to prove, I think it fuels me.”
What about you and I? What is our motivation? What fuels us each day? What are we trying to accomplish and why are we pursuing it?
We could probably admit that some of our fuel is misguided, selfish, or from a place of insecurity. Many of us feel like we have something to prove or want to get to a certain level or be viewed in a specific way by others.
It’s not entirely a bad thing, but as followers of Jesus, we have to ask ourselves if we are keeping our motivations rooted in Him and aligned with His purposes.
Are we relying on our fuel to come from Him beyond anything else? Are we driven to “keep training, continue winning, and remain dedicated to His team” or are we lacking the proper direction and motivation?
Do we get up in the morning driven to be successful by the world’s standards or do we get up inspired to follow the One who died and rose again for us?
Paul asks in Galatians 1:10 (ESV), “For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.”
What is our motivation to follow Jesus and obey Him each day? What about our motivation for serving others and giving sacrificially – is it based on obligation or convenience or are we fueled by His grace and love?
Jesus says in John 14:15 (ESV), “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.”
The Bible tells us in 2 Corinthians 9:7 (ESV), ”Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”
Knowing this life is filled with challenges, every day we must remain motivated to keep going. So today, let’s choose to be fueled by Jesus and our love for Him…and put to practice what Paul writes in Colossians 3:23 (AMP):
“Whatever you do [whatever your task may be], work from the soul [that is, put in your very best effort], as [something done] for the Lord and not for men…”
I’m Bryce Johnson and you can UNPACK that!
PRAYER: Heavenly Father, I pray that my main motivation each day would be to serve You and love You well. I pray I’d be driven to bring You glory and honor as I desire to please You above anyone else. Please give me the fuel I need to persevere when life gets tough. In Jesus’ name, I pray, Amen.
Discussion Questions for PACKS:
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What are you motivated and fueled by right now?
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What is the difference between Christ-centered motivation and worldly fuel?
