Why do I serve? — IBL, The Institute of Biblical Leadership

institute of biblical leadership eml tree roots

"My heart is intent on glorifying God."

issues of heart and motivation

The roots of my tree correspond to my purpose and motivation as a leader–why I really do what I do, and say, and think.

Our motivation ought to be found in God Himself: all that we do flows out of who He is. 1 Peter 4:10-11 states, “As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace… in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ.” Why do I serve? What motivates me? The roots of my tree, my purpose for serving, ought to be that my heart is intent on glorifying God. He alone is worthy of praise and glory (Jude 25). Because of who He is, we are motivated to love Him and love others (Matt 22:37,39) and in our hearts (Prov 27:19) we are compelled to please Him in our life and ministry. It is that simple.

However, the reality is that too often we are motivated by unhelpful, earthly, base purposes: ambition, family expectations, money, a need to prove something, pride, power, a need to please people, fear, and many others. Do you ever find these factors driving your thinking, discussions and decisions? Some of these can be appropriate factors in godly decision-making. But if these things become foundational motivations for our lives and ministries, then the roots of our leadership are undermined by the cares and deceptions of this world and we will be less than what God desires.

“As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace… in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ”

— 1 Peter 4:10,11b

Practical success in this area means I am able to identify when my thoughts, words and actions are being driven by base motivations; and that I can recognize my flawed thinking and replace it by God-glorifying truth. Right motivation leads to right thinking which leads to right actions. This is probably the most difficult area for a leader to obtain victory, because our heart is deceptive and our true motivations and thoughts are often elusive. Success in this area takes time, commitment, and earnest prayer.