WHAT IS THE SOURCE OF YOUR MOTIVATION?

Why do you do the things that you do? What keeps you working? In today’s devotion, there is much to learn from the bible teaching.

“Punishment that hurts chases evil from the heart.” Proverbs 20:30

Punishment or discipline is given to bring correction to that which is wrong or evil. In life we all need set parametors of operation. But excellent perfomance comes when we operate far beyond the fear of punishment for not meeting the set standards.

We all have four basic motivations:

1. We feel responsible and commit our selves to do them.
2. We fear the consequences of not doing them.
3. We desire and enjoy the feeling of
4. We have a dream we want to fulfill.

God too has set the rules “punishment that hurts chases evil from the heart.” If we are managing and motivating people, we must first establish some absolute rules that bring tough consequences when broken. This will create fear of crossing over the line, but it will also let people know what we want or expect of them.  This allows them to work freely within the framework of the established parameters. Well-communicated, strict laws which are enforced quickly will eliminate the fear of the unknown, which will give us freedom.

We need to know that, without a certain sense of fear, we cannot function properly. The fear of punishment or loss will cause everyone and everything to follow certain internal disciplines that will develop good behavior. These internal disciplines, or trained behaviors, increase their value. It is impossible to manage a family, a business, or a society without a set of laws that will put the fear of God in us. Yes, we must teach and love good values and the rewards they bring us, but we must also teach the consequences of not following them. Every action has a reaction. Every behavior has a reward.

My prayer for you is that you will start to operate at a higher level of motivation. Self discipline and not the fear of punishment. People who operate on self discpline have a clear vision, purpose and goals to meet in life. Such people achieve much in life.