The scriptures plainly teach that God is the first cause of all things. He does according to His will in the armies of heaven and among the inhabitants of earth. He works all things after the counsel of His own will. He does all His pleasure, raising up and putting down, making rich and making poor, afflicting or healing....all things! As He does so, the responses and attitudes of men and women to these "all things" greatly reflect their attitude toward the God who sends them. I'm not talking about a few words spoken in the heat of pain or the piercing sorrow of grief. Jacob, the man of faith, spoke in haste at a time of great sorrow, "all things are against me." I'm talking about the individual’s general attitude and response after the initial shock has passed. When their thoughts again are gathered and a course must be taken, what will they say and do? Will they blame or bless the God who is the first cause of all things. If all the second causes, whether they be men, events, rulers, diseases, weather or whatever are blamed, then God is blamed. Our displeasure with providence is displeasure with the One who orders all providence. There is great need to recognize and admit this. If I am dissatisfied with that which God has ordained, I question God's wisdom, His love, His grace and His purpose. I set myself above God and by my thoughts, words and actions declare that I could do better as God than God Himself. Oh what practical idolatry! When all the events that claimed Job's property, wealth, members of his family and his honor had passed, Job responded, "Naked came I from out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return thither: the Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away, BLESSED be the name of the Lord." (Job 1:21) The story of Job closes out with these words, "So the Lord blessed the latter end of Job more than his beginning." Oh the wisdom, grace, love and goodness of God! He is to be blessed in all things and blamed in none. May He save us from our sinful tendency to blame (even through second causes) rather than bless Him. May we bless Him who "works all things together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose." (Rom.8:28)

From 2009 by Gary Shepard

OUR MOTIVATION

What is our motivation to serve the Lord? Most churches induce people to work for God with one of two methods (generally with a mixture of the two). [1] Threats of punishment. Many preachers instill within their hearers a need to be faithful and serve God otherwise the Lord will lay heavy stripes upon them. By this tactic people are moved to activity by a fear of what God will do to them if they don't obey Him. They therefore attend, give, and try to serve God out of slavish fear. "If you don't tithe, God will get His money at the doctor's office, or at the auto repair shop. If you don't attend, God will make you sick so you will not be able to attend." The motivation, therefore, is not to gratefully and lovingly serve God for His glory, but serve Him in order to keep the Lord off your back and to keep you out of the proverbial dog house! [2] Promise of rewards. This motivating principle says that the more you do for the Lord, the more He will give you when you get to heaven. Do a lot and get a lot; do little and get little. This is a mercenary motivation, laboring for wages.

Years ago I sat under the ministry of preachers who said to us that it will be very sad for some Christians when they get to heaven. They will arrive there by the skin of their teeth and receive no rewards from God because they did not serve Him. One professor in the Bible College I attended used to teach that there will be some believers in heaven who will live in a mansion on Main Street, having earned a higher place in the kingdom of God by their faithfulness and good works. Others, however, will live in a shack in the slum section of heaven and be ashamed that they didn't obey the Lord and earn some rewards. What nonsense!

In the Word of God, neither threats or rewards are used by the inspired writers to move the children of God to serve Him in this world. The motivating principle is always to serve the Lord with thanksgiving and love because of what He has done for us through and by Christ Jesus. Paul said, "The love of Christ constraineth us" (2 Corinthians 5:14). When the apostle would encourage the Roman believers to a life of commitment to the Lord, he did not use threats of punishment nor did he use the promise of rewards. He said, "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service" (Romans 12:1). God has showed us mercy for Christ' s sake. All of our sins were washed away in the river of Christ's blood. He satisfied the demands of the law and by His atonement He fully and finally put away our sins. It is, therefore, the most reasonable thing in this world to serve the Lord in light of all He has done for me! We are not slaves, afraid of what the Master will do to us if we don't serve Him, we are sons and rejoice to labor in the cause of God. And we do not serve as hirelings, for reward. We want no more than Christ! "The Lord is my Portion said my soul" (Lamentation 3:24). I shall, therefore, seek to serve Him in this world moved by the most effectual of all motivating principles, the power of love - Christ's love to me, and my God-given love for Him. And if I am privileged to serve Him and do good things in this world, I desire no credit, for my service to the Lord is only because of His enabling grace. The Lord, therefore, must (and shall) receive all the glory. "For we are His workmanship created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them" (Ephesians 2:10).