Going Through the Motions?

Going through the motions? We’ve all been there. Some days I wake up and just can’t shake the fog of the morning. I feel like the whole day is a waste because all I have managed to do is go through the motions. Heck, how many of you have driven from one place to the other and upon arrival, you just can’t remember how you got there? Come on, admit it. It’s happened to you at least once. Or how about when tragedy strikes and it takes everything you’ve got to pull yourself together. You are just going through the motions, but really it’s all just a blur because your heart and your head are somewhere else. And that’s just basically the summary of going through the motions, isn’t it? We go through the motions because are head and our heart are somewhere else. That can be a good thing, but it can also be a bad thing.

Going through the motions also happens in our Christian walk, and that’s a dangerous thing to do. Going through the motions is the same as checking off the boxes in our lives. Quiet time? Check! Make sure you show your face at the weekly Bible study? Check! Be seen at church on Sunday? Check check! What is it all, but a waste if your heart isn’t in it? That quiet time spent with God each day is meant to be a time where it is just you and God. It can be a time of prayer, reading, worshipping, or any combination of these. It isn’t the act, however, of having a quiet time that God wants; it’s a right heart and mind that God requires. You can go to that Bible study each week and put on your mask. No one will ever get deep with you and you will never allow people to truly reach out to you if you just go through the motions. And let me tell you, God doesn’t bless that. There’s a reason why Paul spent so much time preaching and writing about the Body of Christ as well as unity within the Body. Don’t waste your time by just showing your face at the Bible study, get real with God and get real with the other believers. Don’t go through the motions.

Even the Pharisee’s went through the motions. When it came to going to church (synagogue) they took the front row and the best seats in the house to show that they were there. Jesus blasts them in Luke 11:43 “Woe to you Pharisees, because you love the most important seats in the synagogues and greetings in the marketplaces.” It may seem harsh that Jesus was telling these men, these men of God (supposedly), “woe to you.” You see, God requires a right heart and He blesses that, but He is disgusted with those who simply go through the motions. Revelation 3:16 “So because you are lukewarm – neither hot nor cold – I am about to spit you out of my mouth.” When we are going through the motions we are nothing more than lukewarm Christians. We just go through the motions, but without the right heart and mind to back it up. It might seem harsh, but I do believe that God looks at those, who are simply going through the motions, in this light.

I don’t want you to lose hope or feel condemned now. Romans 8:1-2 “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.” Understand this brothers and sisters; God doesn’t want you to go through the motions, but once you open up your heart to God and to His word you stop going through the motions. There is a passion that sweeps over you. Too many people decide that it’s too difficult to shake off the fog. Is it hard work, yes, but as my dad has told me and my Heavenly Father has shown me, ALL things that are good and honorable take hard work. There will be blood, sweat, and tears, but it is worth the sacrifice. Philippians 4:8 “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” If anything is worth doing, it’s worth doing right. Set your minds on these things and stop going through the motions.

Finally, going through the motions cheats you. It cheats others on the best of you. When going through the motions you miss out on the fullness of life. My biggest fear is to get to the end of my life and I am full of regret. I don’t want to live life wondering what would be different if I had given it my all. I choose to live with a passion, with a God blessed and Biblically based passion. When it is all said and done I want to hear “Well done good and faithful one!” If I live my life just going through the motions I stand to lose everything. And as stated before what is it all, but a waste if your heart isn’t in it? Today and every day, make a conscious decision to NOT go through the motions. Live in communion with Jesus Christ. Seek out a walk in the Garden like our father Adam once did with God. You will lose it all if you go through the motions, but you will leave a legacy of joy, peace, and honor when you seek God and His will with all your heart. God’s will never goes against His word. So spend time daily in the Word and let the love of Christ wash over you.

I would like to share with you a song that I heard on the radio today. It blew me away. I believe it’s the very first time I heard it and it served as my inspiration to write this today. The name of the song is “The Motions” and it is by Matthew West.

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=VLJF9vaIJ_0

Here are the lyrics to this incredible song:

This might hurt
It’s not safe
But I know that I’ve gotta make a change
I don’t care
If I break
At least I’ll be feeling something
‘Cause just ok
Is not enough
Help me fight through the nothingness of life

I don’t wanna go through the motions
I don’t wanna go one more day
Without Your all consuming passion inside of me
I don’t wanna spend my whole life asking
What if I had given everything?
Instead of going through the motions

No regrets
Not this time
I’m gonna let my heart defeat my mind
Let Your love
Make me whole
I think I’m finally feeling something

Take me all the way
Take me all the way
Take me all the way