A schoolboy beamed with satis- faction as he handed me a spelling test on which his teacher had written a large “100%—Good work!” The boy said, “I showed this to Mum and Dad because I knew it would please them.” I could just see him travelling home on the bus, hardly able to wait for the moment when his parents would express their excitement with how well he had done. His desire to make his mum and dad happy was obviously a very important motivating factor in his life.

In 2 Timothy 2:3 Paul used the image of a soldier who serves with single minded devotion to please his commanding officer. He wanted Timothy to know the supreme reason for serving God, even when the going gets tough. Wholehearted devotion, marked by hard work and careful attention to God’s rules, brings the greatest glory to the Lord when it comes from a yielded and loving heart.

In His humanity, our Saviour did not want to take our sin on Himself and face a cruel death on the cross to pay for it. Nevertheless He prayed, “Not My will, but Yours, be done” (Luke 22:42). Jesus’ supreme motive was a desire to please His Father. That should be our incentive too.

Author

Herbert Vander Lugt

Topics

Our Daily Bread