Giving oneself (or a group) a challenge can be exciting. The idea of ‘rising above’ one’s (or a team’s) current capacity creates a certain thirst or motivation to take on the challenge. Cycling 150 kilometers for a humanitarian aid project, or learning a new language in order to communicate the Gospel with a neighbor or colleague from another culture, or praying for a daily or weekly spiritual conversation would all qualify as possible ways to push ourselves to ‘exercise’ and work beyond where we currently find ourselves.
However, any challenge can quickly lose steam and interest as other important priorities (or simply daily life concerns) come along to sap the effort needed to daily take on a given challenge.
You may remember that two years ago, we launched the 1+1 Challenge. It was an encouragement for each of us to pray towards leading one person into a relationship with Jesus, and journey with one person towards cross cultural missions. If you were like me, you started well, but the motivation slowly dissipated as time went by and other things got in the way.
Now there is nothing wrong with the many other objectives of our lives and ministries taking priority over current challenges. What intrigues me though is why I (and perhaps you) can be quick to accept a challenge, launch out, but then slowly lose the motivation to continue.
There it is. It’s ultimately a question of ‘motivation’. In other words, is this challenge something God is calling me and us to participate in? And if so, where am I (we) going to find the drive to pursue any given challenge?
For us, this is where grace and the Gospel comes in. Chalmers called it: ‘the expulsive power of a new affection’. Only when we are deeply aware, overwhelmed you might say, by the deep, constant, and eternal love of God for each one of us could we find the intrinsic motivation needed to pursue His challenges for us. Only when His compassion and mercy demonstrated to us is able to displace what currently holds sway in our hearts, can we find the strength and courage to do what He calls us, what He challenges us to do.
Probably the greatest being that in whatever do, we do all to the glory of God.
Thoughts Along The Journey 
Thanks for this excellent reminder. When we get stimulated by good causes and ideas the desire to do something needs to be filtered by prayer and godly counsel. Frequently God leads me to include awareness of a need to my prayer sheet. Over time I gain greater awareness of His purposes and occasionally He motivates me to send a note of encouragement, a financial gift or invite someone else into awareness.
It is so liberating to not be driven by a “messianic” motivation (me centered ministry) to make a difference and instead to delight in God Who is at work in me and through me to fulfill His purposes—God centered ministry.
It’s the other-centeredness or self-forgetfulness (as Tim Keller once wrote) that is hard. Learning to discern the right motivation that comes from the Spirit and not from our desire to put ourselves forward.