As I have in my two previous sermons this year I will continue throughout this year to wrestle with this question. Hopefully not only challenging myself, but you and our church to examine our lives through the microscope of God’s Word so that our lives will continue to be

Only when you and I ask God for the Holy Spirit to renew, reeducate and redirect our minds will we be able to live a life with a purpose, not our purpose, but God’s purpose.

Today I want to ask you, what pushes your buttons? What motivates your life? What gets you up in the morning? What gets you through the day? What makes you do the things you?

Seldom do I hear people complain about having nothing to do. Usually the complaint is that there is too much to do. Truth is we are living our lives at such a frantic pace that a gyroscope could best symbolize our lives.

Sadly this is a truth no one is happy about. Yet as unhappy as we are about our lives spinning out of control the only thing we do about it is complain. Why don’t we do something to change our lives? Why, I will tell you why, because we lack a purpose. Because we lack a purpose we allow our lives to be motivated by hundreds of activities, circumstances, values, and emotions. The prophet Isaiah said,

What motivates your life? What is the driving force?

Rick Warren lists 5 of the most common driving forces in our lives.

The first is GUILT.

Is there something in your past that still has its grip on you? Is there a regret, a memory, or an incident that is holding you back from living the abundant life that God wants for you to be living? Guilt has a way of holding us as prisoners to the past. Warren wrote, “God specializes in giving people a fresh start.” Look at Moses, Gideon, and Paul to name a few. Confess your sin and be done with your guilt. Embrace God’s promise

The second most driving force is RESENTMENT/ANGER.

In spite of the truthful fact that someone who holds a resentment is hurt more than the person resented we continue to hold unto our resentment and anger. Instead of releasing the anger and resentment, we rehearse and rehash it over and over again.

Do you realize what this does? This allows that person that you resent for something in the past to still have control over your present. You continue to allow that person to hurt you with your own bitterness.

The third most driving force is FEAR.

Warren wrote, “Fear is a self-imposed prison.” Do you know the majority of our fears are not caused by a traumatic experience, but by an unrealistic expectation?  Our desire to play it safe causes us to miss out on great opportunities.  My Mon is a perfect illustration of this truth.  Don’t get me wrong I love my Mom, but my Mom’s fear of flying is stopping her from experience the awesome joy of spending time with her only great grandson, Matthew.  Her fear is keeping her from something I believe God intends for her. What experiences does God intend for you that fear is keeping you from experiencing?

The fourth driving force is MATERIALISM.

If there is one LIE that modern society has embraced as an absolute truth it is this, “Having more will make me happy.” When did self-worth become confused with net worth. Stop and think about it. What one possession if any provides you with eternal security? Every single possession you have provides only temporary happiness.

When I was playing with Matthew this past week we went from toy to toy, activity to activity. One minute we were building blocks, the next minute we were reading a book, the next minute we were playing with musical instruments. It dawned on me this morning as I was editing this sermon that, that is us. We find happiness in something and soon grow tired of it or bored with it so we want something newer, bigger, a better version, believing that once we have it we will be happy and content.

The truth is the only thing that is eternal and can provide real contentment is your relationship with God.

The fifth most common driving force is THE NEED FOR APPROVAL.

Whose approval are you trying to gain? Whose expectations are you trying to live up to? Is it your parents, a friend, or the popular crowd at school? The majority of teenagers say they are affected by peer pressure, but the opposite is true. The desire to feel accepted and loved is so strong that teenagers will compromise their values to belong to a certain crowd. Sadly what happens too often is that the youth gets lost in that crowd.

Warren writes, “I don’t know all the keys to success, but one key failure is to try to please everyone.”

GUILT, RESENTMENT/ANGER, FEAR, MATERIALISM, AND THE NEED FOR APPROVAL are the most common forces that drive humanity today. There are hundreds more that all lead to the same dead end. The only driving force that doesn’t lead to a dead end is knowing God’s purpose for your life.

“You, Lord, give perfect peace
to those who keep their purpose firm
and put their trust in you.”

I don’t care how young or old you are nothing matters more than knowing God’s purposes for your life. Nothing can even come close in comparison, not success, not fame, not wealth, not pleasure, nothing. Not knowing God’s purpose for your life and not living out that purpose makes life a trivial pursuit.