Have you heard about the group of frogs who were traveling through the woods, and two of them fell into a deep pit. All the other Frogs gathered around the pit.  When they saw how deep the pit was, they told the two frogs that they were as good as dead.  The two frogs ignored the comments and tried to jump up out of the pit with all of their might. The other frogs kept telling them to stop, that they were as good as dead. Finally, one of the frogs took heed to what the other frogs were saying and gave up. He fell down and died. The other frog continued to jump as hard as he could. Once again, the crowd of frogs yelled at him to stop the pain and just die. He jumped even harder and finally made it OUT!  You see, this frog was deaf, unable to hear the others’ pleas. He thought they were encouraging him the entire time. The right motivation matters.

When it comes to serving it is not uncommon for people to lose interest and stop after a while. In 2 Corinthians 4 the Apostle Paul warns about the potential to “lose heart” or become discouraged while serving. The devil is active in his efforts to discourage people from serving and one of the ways he does this is by giving wrong motives for serving. He’s ok for a person to serve for a short time with poor motives, because he knows it will not last long. In our text this week Paul offers correct motivation for serving in the church. With the right motivation it is amazing what a person can do as they serve. Join me this Sunday as we find healthy motivations for serving in the church.