God-Motivated

Meditation
Ezra 1:5—So the family leaders of Judah and Benjamin, along with the priests and Levites—everyone God had motivated—prepared to go up and rebuild the LORD’s house in Jerusalem. 
 
For seventy years the Jews lived in exile in Babylon and surrounding nations. Their severe unfaithfulness to God resulted in His fierce punishment which meant they were forcefully removed from their homes.  But, in keeping with His promise communicated through multiple prophets, God opened a way through the Persian King Cyrus for the exiles to go home.  As we read in the book of Ezra, those who were motivated by Godpacked up their belongings and moved back to their homeland to rebuild the Lord’s temple and settle.

When I read Ezra 1:5 I was struck by the fact that God motivated the people to accomplish His purpose.  The best kind of motivation is that which comes from Him.  When God motivates the inspired feeling endures.  When God motivates things get done.  When God motivates Satan trembles and demons fall into a steaming silence like when heavy rains put out forest fires.  When God motivates, people take notice.  When God motivates, excuses and complaining vanish while inspiration and hope soar. When God motivates worship hits all the high notes in perfect pitch.  It is a beautiful thing.

I am blessed to see what a God-motivated person looks like virtually every week in the person of Katie.  Consider this.  Katie retired from the Air Force as a Colonel with 24 years of service to our nation. She probably would have received a promotion to Brigadier General but she self-reported that she was suffering from post-traumatic stress (PTS) and the military forced her into retirement.

Katie’s husband Dave also retired from the Air Force.  Together they have four grown children.  During her time in the Air Force she deployed six times to include three times to Iraq and Afghanistan.  In one of her many deployments, her team was ambushed and half her team were killed and she was wounded by shrapnel from an improvised explosive device (IED).  Later, she crashed in a helicopter that was shot down and then had to fight to survive those intent on killing the pilots and crew.  She suffers from traumatic brain injury (TBI) and endured the intense pain of a daughter who for a time hated her for her separations from family. In addition, people not understanding her situation, filled her ears with unkind, judgmental criticism.

When I asked Katie to be the Colorado Chapter Director for VetREST, a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping veterans who suffer from PTS, I was not sure how she would answer given her intense stress level.  Prayerfully she said “Yes” and faithfully she ministers on a weekly basis to our veterans.  Through tears she calmly shares her story and then asks her community listeners to roll up their sleeves and help!  She keeps going when most would take a break or feel sorry for themselves.  She is fearless, kind, courageous, thoughtful, organized and inspiring.  It is an honor to call her friend and to see what a life that is God-motivated can do for His glory.  
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Katie does what she does because God placed it on her heart to serve and to be a light.  High callings do not come because we are eminently qualified or supremely positioned.  They come because we listen to God who is able to put in us what we need to go about doing what He wants.  If He calls you to move and restore His temple He will give you the motivation.  Something to think about . . . in reveration!
 
Inspiration
With God—the Searcher of hearts—the inner realities of motivation, purpose, and desire that prompt and energize our actions are just as important as the performance of the actions themselves, viewed from the outside.—J.I. Packer in Praying
 
©2017 Daniel York  ARR. Reveration is the weekly devotional ministry of First Cause.  If you would like to receive these devotionals go to www.firstcause.org and click on the “Click here to receive weekly devotionals” box.  Unlimited permission to copy this devotional without altering text or profiteering is allowed subject to inclusion of this copyright notice.      
 
Ecclesiastes 12:10-The Teacher sought to find delightful sayings and to accurately write words of truth.  (Holman CSB)