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Dec 07, 2025 06:00am

What’s Your Motivation?

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Recently, I’ve attended several volleyball games in support of a couple of my former Sunday School students.

In moments of opposition, parents shout, “Keep your eye on the ball!”

There are certainly many things the girls could fix their eyes on:

the score
the approval or disapproval of spectators, as they clap loudly one minute and shout, “Booooo” the next
the opposing team
their physical exhaustion

The issue with all of these focal points is that they’re unstable and lead to wavering—wavering motivation, wavering thoughts, wavering emotions—resulting in inconsistent gameplay.

The ball is the only object of focus that provides steady and consistent motivation to strive until the end and toward the prize.

Christian, as you seek to follow Christ, what are your eyes fixed on?

The most obvious and automatic answer is, “Jesus.”

However, is that truly the case?

If you’re unsure what your object of motivation is as you seek to follow Christ, consider what captures your heart through the highs and the lows.

Jesus put it this way: “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

Do you waver in keeping your eyes on Jesus when things are going well and you’re being praised? Remember, pride comes before the fall; we must worship Jesus—the One who created, holds, and keeps all things together. From dust we came and to dust we will return.

Do you waver at the disapproval of others? Proverbs warns that the fear of man lays a trap, but the one who trusts in the Lord is safe.

Do you waver when darkness seems to win? Remember, a great Light—Jesus—has dawned, and the darkness has not overtaken the Light. Greater is He who is in us than he who is in the world.

Do you waver when exhaustion (physical, mental, or emotional) hits? Galatians instructs us not to grow weary in doing good, because in due time (God’s time) we will reap if we do not give up.

Notice this: the subject of each of these biblical instructions and exhortations is Christ.

He is the “ball” of Christianity.

Jesus is the only object of focus that provides enduring motivation to strive until the end—to become like Him and to live for Him; to live in a manner worthy of our calling.

If anything else is serving to motivate you to follow Him, you will waver.

There will be seasons when you get offended, feel defeated, lonely, or upset. As a result, you may “sit the bench.” While sitting, you may become resentful of those still in the game and distance yourself from them as well.

After sitting and stewing for a while, you may be tempted to do something worse: quit the game.

Any focus other than Jesus will cause you to miss it; the substance belongs to Him.

In Christ, we’ve been blessed with every spiritual blessing—the presence and help of the Holy Spirit, peace, joy, and more. We will undoubtedly miss experiencing these eternal riches on earth if our eyes are fixed on the temporal things of earth.

We will also miss the mark as His disciples.

So what do you do when your focus shifts off Christ?

Put your eyes back on Him in prayer. Confess the temporary treasure that has been capturing your heart and surrender it to Him. Let it go.

Go to the Bible and seek the Word—Jesus. Look for what He has to say about Himself. He is sufficient.

Scripture instructs us to lay aside every weight and sin that entangles us and run the race set before us. As we seek to live as God has called us, we are to fix our eyes on Jesus—the object, founder, and finisher of our faith.

He is the only object of focus that provides consistent motivation to strive until the end.