Hello everyone.
In this blog post, I am sharing slightly edited remarks that I gave in a talk at a church. I am turning my edited speech outline into a blog post. I hope that you will be blessed by what I share below.
“We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed…” 2 Corinthians 4:8-9 (KJV)
The experience described in these verses is one that is to be desired, and in this blog post we will go over some insights that I believe God has given me regarding how we can have this experience. We will discuss insights on how we may connect with God so strongly that no trial will be able to break our faith in Him or our courage to press on through His strength.
I’d like to start out by introducing the topic of extrinsic and intrinsic motivations. I am reading the following definitions directly from two different articles from VeryWell Health.
“Extrinsic motivation is a catalyst for action that is driven by external rewards. These can be tangible, such as money or grades, or intangible, such as praise or fame. Unlike intrinsic motivation, which arises from within the individual, extrinsic motivation focuses purely on outside rewards.” (Cherry)
Now, let us read this definition of intrinsic motivation: “Intrinsic motivation happens when we act without being compelled by obvious external rewards. In other words, the activity itself is its own reward. Intrinsic motivation can be contrasted with extrinsic motivation, which involves engaging in a behavior to earn external rewards or avoid punishment.” (Cherry)
I’d now like to share some thoughts I have regarding motivations for following God. Here are my thoughts:
I’d like to submit to you that a person with motivations for following God that are based in self follows Him for either temporal comforts and advantages, for a feeling of self-righteousness or for a combination of both. All motivations are based in desires for self to be gratified.
I’d now like to submit to you that a person with motivations for following God that are based in love follows Him because of love for Him and love for all of His creation. The motivations are based in desires for God to be loved and glorified and for His creation to be loved and uplifted.
I would like to submit to you that Paul had been transformed by God and that he had pure motivations for following God. He found his joy and purpose in showing love to God and man, and he experienced God’s strength, which helped him to press through challenges. The negative experiences in the temporal world did not determine the state of his heart. Let us read further down in 2 Corinthians 4 to prove what I have just shared.
I invite you to take a moment to read 2 Corinthians 4:10-18. In these verses, it can be seen that Paul’s heart was surrendered to God, that he had selfless love for others (verse 15), and that his mind was occupied with eternal things rather than temporal things.
None of us are able, on our own, to serve God from the right motives. (Isaiah 1:5-6) I believe that the conversion experience is a transformation from selfish motives to unselfish motives. (Ezekiel 36:24-28) To maintain and grow in a converted experience, we must die to self daily. (1 Corinthians 15:31) We must come to God as we are, with our selfish motives, and trust Him, by faith and not by feeling, to change our motives as we walk with Him. (Hebrews 11:6)
We cannot change our motives, but God can and will do this work in us and for us when we open our hearts to Him and choose to do His will while trusting in Him.
As we bring this blog post to a close, I want to reiterate the fact that God wants us all to have an experience with Him that is motivated by love. When we have this experience, we have God’s strength to push through trials. We are not discouraged by the trials of this life because we live to glorify God and bless others. We see all of our trials from a selfless perspective rather than from a self-centered perspective. I want to invite all of you to join me on this journey of choosing God’s ways of thinking and living. I want all of us to experience God’s miracle of healing as we allow Him to convert our hearts, taking away selfish motives and wrong actions and replacing them with loving motives and loving actions. “And the work of righteousness shall be peace; and the effect of righteousness quietness and assurance for ever.” Isaiah 32:17 (KJV)
Works Cited
What Is Extrinsic Motivation? Do You Need Rewards, Prizes, and Praise to Stay Motivated? Accessed on 13 December 2025 from https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-extrinsic-motivation-2795164
Intrinsic Motivation: How Internal Rewards Drive Behavior Accessed on 13 December 2025 from https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-intrinsic-motivation-2795385
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