I have been thinking lately about my faith in the context of commitment. I have been asking myself why I do what I do in order to get to the root of my motives. I ask myself, "Am I doing these things for His glory?" Every time I ask that question, I find myself embracing certain aspects of my life with more zeal and letting go of others.

I believe every Christian needs to ask themselves on a regular basis why they do what they do. It is important to look at our hearts and understand even the motives behind what we do.

As Christians, we can fall into different mindsets after we have been in the faith for a number of years. It is, in a way, a normal process. However, in the midst of the process, we must recognize that this is not where we are supposed to be. There must be a still, small voice that tells us we need to be moving out of this season and into a greater one.

Here are some of the motives behind our lifestyles:

1. We do things out of obligation

At some point, we forget the true gospel. We forget the gospel doesn't require us to perform but to receive. We begin to perform as if Jesus required that of us. We begin to do things in ministry to please the Father, when truly the Father would simply be pleased with our presence.

Let's get something clear -- We are not obligated to do anything for Jesus. We were created to do things with Jesus. As long as we don't invite Him into what we do, everything we do, we will live empty lives. He wants nothing but for us to know Him and for Him to know us. In the process, He requires obedience.

But, catch this...

Obedience is NOT an excuse to fall out of relationship.

"I know your works, your toil and your patient endurance, and how you cannot bear with those who are evil, but have tested those who call themselves apostles and are not, and found them to be false. I know you are enduring patiently and bearing up for my name's sake, and you have not grown weary. But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first. Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first" (Revelation 2:2-5).

2. We do things for our own benefit

Do you know what happened to me when I first became a Christian? I saw how good the Lord was, and I felt I could accomplish any and everything I wanted through Him. I thought He was going to be the path to take me toward all of my dreams and desires.

Though some of our desires are God-given, not all of them are, and they are not the goal. The ultimate goal is to have Jesus. The ultimate goal is to be in relationship with Him and to bring the wonder of that relationship to others in any shape or form. We cannot do things for us. We do not even do things for Him. We do things with Him, and we do them selflessly because He is our humble King.

"Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others" (Philippians 2:3-4).

"But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ" (Philippians 3:7-8).

3. We do things for appearance

We love to pretend we are doing pretty well. We love to appear as if we have life in us when we do not.

We somehow believe that if people found out about our brokenness and problems they won't look at us the same. The truth is, our faith family needs to find out about what is going on. If they don't know, they cannot encourage us through prayer and word.

Also, when we don't share with others what is really going on with us, we have no accountability. We not only experience spiritual dryness, but that silence is an indication of where we are going to stay.

“I know your works. You have the reputation of being alive, but you are dead. Wake up, and strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your works complete in the sight of my God" (Revelation 3:1-2).

4. We do things for comfortability

We get comfortable with our routines. Church becomes something we do on a regular basis. It becomes a cultural thing. Even our devotionals are such a big routine. They stop being life changing.

We forget that the gospel is powerful. We become immune to the truth of the gospel. We cease to be influenced by God, and we are more influenced by our lives. We like our routine, and we don't want God to disrupt it. We sit in the train, and we hold back sharing the gospel with someone who needs it because our routine is more important.

But...

We were made to be powerful agents, not ordinary people. There is nothing ordinary about a disciple of Jesus.

We need to reach the point where we do things for His glory and His glory alone. I need to do the things I did when I first gave my life to Him in addition to what He has for me now. I cannot be distracted. I cannot lose my focus. If I have truly received the gospel, I am grateful to have received it, and I feel the need to bring that message to others.

Someone who is on fire sets other people on fire.

Someone who is set on fire brings hope to the hopeless, joy to the saddened and healing to the sick. If we have truly received the gospel, we are not just baptized with water but by His Holy Spirit and fire.

Be set on fire. Go back to your first love. Be the light Jesus has called you to be in the midst of darkness. Bring Jesus where all chaos, confusion and pain is. Embrace the adventure of the gospel. Embrace the unpredictability. Embrace the change, the vulnerability and the accountability. Embrace the Kingdom of God and not the kingdom of this world.