Life Ministries

“Motivation”
As the following stories show, the right kind of motivation can be a very powerful thing.

STORY #1 — A reporter from Newsweek magazine once asked Bob Kuechenber, formerly of the Miami Dolphins, what motivated him to go to college. Kuechenber replied, “Well, my father and uncle were human cannonballs in carnivals. When I was about to graduate from High School, my dad said I could do two things with my life: ‘Go to college OR be a cannonball.’ Not too long after that my uncle was performing at a circus. When he was fired out of the cannon, he missed the net and hit the ferris wheel... I decided to go to college.”

STORY #2 — A loaded mini-van pulled into a campground. The instant the van came to a stop at their assigned camp site, four young boys hopped out and in great haste began unloading all the gear and hurriedly setting up the tent. When they finished, the boys each rushed off to find firewood, while their sisters and their mother quickly unpacked their food and cooking utensils and then set up the camp stove. A nearby camper who had watched all this feverish activity walked over and commented to the children’s father: “That, sir, is some display of family teamwork! How do you motivate them to work like that?” The father replied, “It’s easy. You see, I have a system. No one goes to the bath-room until the camp is set up.”

STORY #3 — A man received a “FINAL NOTICE” from the IRS stating that his tax payment was overdue, and unless it was immediately forthcoming, the IRS would be forced to take legal action. The very next day, the man appeared at the IRS office the moment it opened with the overdue payment in hand. As he handed it to the clerk he said, “I would have paid sooner but I never received your ‘FIRST NOTICE.’” The clerk replied, “Well, the truth is, we ran out of the ‘FIRST NOTICE’ forms. Besides we discovered that the ‘FINAL NOTICES’ are much more effective.”

    As I said, these stores show that the right kind of motivation can indeed be a very effective thing! What would motivate you to share your faith?  If you knew that Jesus was coming back tomorrow – What question would you ask your kids or your neighbor or co-worker or your best friend?
    You see, lost people face an approaching death without hope. As Paul says in Ephesians 2, they are “dead in their trespasses and sins...” We need to remember this and realize that if we don’t do something, they will die without Jesus, and spend eternity separated from God so they desperately need what we have! And, they don’t just need what we have to help them deal with death—they need to hear the good news of the Gospel to help them deal with LIFE!
I want to share the words of an old Steve Green song;
                  “Every day they pass me by. I can see it in their eye;
                   Empty people filled with care, headed who knows where.
                   On they go through private pain, living fear to fear.
                   Laughter hides the silent cries, only Jesus hears.
                   PEOPLE NEED THE LORD. PEOPLE NEED THE LORD
                   At the end of broken dreams, He’s the open door.
                   PEOPLE NEED THE LORD. PEOPLE NEED THE LORD
                   When will we realize… we need to give our lives...‘cause people need the Lord...
                   People need the Lord.”