What does it take to motivate me? What does it take to motivate you? I have been thinking through this issue of motivation. From my perspective, the greatest motivator for most people is either love or fear. Call it the carrot or the stick - run to the reward/pleasure or run from the discipline/consequences.
When it comes to God, I see a need for both forms of motivation in my life. In my over simplified version of this, the Fear of the Lord keeps me from disobeying (fear of discipline, the stick). Look at Hebrews 12:5 and following.
The Love of the Lord causes me to obey (love, the carrot). Look at John 14:15, 21. I realize that the Love of the Lord should keep me from sin and the Fear of the Lord should motivate me to obedience. But it helps me to understand how the two fit together.
It is not one or the other. It is both-and. We need to love God and obey Him. We need to fear God and refrain from that which would incite His discipline.
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