What Drives You?
As we enter into Holy Week, I have been thinking a lot about the meaning of Christ’s death. I oftentimes think we wake up on Palm Sunday, excited for Holy Week and Resurrection Sunday, and then Monday hits and we are back to our day to day.
Good Friday rolls around and that same excitement from Palm Sunday comes back, but where was it the past four days. This year, I made a promise to myself that I would spend more intentional time in the word this Easter season. To prepare my heart and mind for the celebration that changed all of our lives.
The past few days I have been thinking about motivation. It can be hard for us in the busy demands of this World to remember to spend time to slow down and be with Jesus. I mean really, how many of you feel like you are just going with the flow Monday through Thursday during Holy Week, and then Friday hits and it’s like you finally wake up?
That certainly has been me at times.
I was reading into Galatians 2:20 and got came back to questions I remember getting asked a lot in High School.
What drives you? What motivates you? Gosh, the number of times I was asked this on the track or on the cross country course! Let’s be real here you need something to drive you when it comes to voluntarily running miles on end everything single day for “fun”.
But as I thought about it more, what drives us and motivates us, as Christians, to lead a God-pleasing life?
“I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” Galatians 2:20
The answer my friends is grace. Grace is what motivates us to lead God-pleasing lives. It is not only grace that pushes us but carries us to do so.
As I sat with that, the weight of this Easter season came over me. Not a bad overwhelming weight, but the weight of gratitude. It was this week 2000 years ago on Lamb Selection Day (what we call Palm Sunday) that Jesus was ushered into Jerusalem on a donkey, but as the symbolic sacrificial lamb for OUR sinful nature.
As Jesus hung on the cross and said his final words “Tetelestai” (Hebrew for “It Is Finished”) at 3:00 pm during Passover when the lambs were to be sacrificed, the lamb of God died for the sins of you and me.
But friends, when he rose again, he did not leave us on our own, he left with us the Holy Spirit. It is now, because of the death of Christ, that it is no longer you or I that live, but Christ who lives in us!
So what is our motivation, as Christians?
We live for the One who lives in us.
I encourage you this week, even in the next couple of days, the mundane days between Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday, to live your life for the One who lives inside of you. Take time to reflect on Jesus’ journey to the cross. The hurt, the realness, the darkness, that was felt during this week, but also the joy and triumph that is to come!
Happy Holy Week Friend!
