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What Gets You Out of Bed?

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No seriously, have you ever thought about what gets you out of bed in the morning? Take a moment and consider what motivates you to leave the comfort of your cozy cot to face the big bad world.

Maybe it's fear. If you don't get up you'll be kicked off the team, flunk out of school, or get grounded for life.

Maybe it's greed. Time is money and oh, how you like money. So much shopping, so little time.

Maybe it's self-achievement. You have a burning desire to be the best and better than the rest.

Maybe it's a relationship. You can't wait to see that certain someone who is definitely your soul mate forever...or at least until you break up.

Or maybe it's just because you have nothing better to do. You get up because you can, go places because they are there, and fill your days with mind numbing activities because deep down you know that life can be pretty repetitive and dull.

If you're in that last category, I agree with you. In fact, so does one of the wisest persons ever to walk the earth. His name was Solomon, and for years he got out of bed because of fear, greed, self-achievement, and relationships all rolled into one. After a while this all paid off big time, because he became the richest and most successful person in history, not to mention the 300 "soul mates" he reeled in as well.

So was he happy? Nope. Not even close. Here's what he concluded:

Then I took a good look at everything I'd done, looked at all the sweat and hard work. But when I looked, I saw nothing but smoke. Smoke and spitting into the wind. There was nothing to any of it. Nothing. (Ecclesiastes 2:11)

Why be such a downer, Solomon? Because he figured out what I'm about to tell you. If you're getting out of bed for any other reason than the one God gave you, you're headed down a dead end.

What reason did God give us? It's no mystery, and it rings from the Bible like a 50-pound alarm clock.

Jesus came and told his disciples, "I have been given complete authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age. (Matthew 28:18-20)

It's called the Great Commission, although most believers treat it like the Great Suggestion. The words above are the final marching orders that Jesus gave to His disciples and to every believer who would come after them. He gave us a global strategy for carrying God's love and forgiveness to a lost and dying world. Think about it: we have received the greatest challenge ever given by that greatest Person who ever lived, who promises us the greatest power ever revealed to tell people about the greatest promise ever recorded.

I'm sure glad that the command to make disciples has been the motivation for at least some Christians over the past 2000 years, otherwise I would be destined for hell! The same is true for you. Someone led you to Christ, that someone was led to Christ by someone else, and on and on goes the chain all the way back to the disciples.

Guess what? It's time to pay it forward!

Jesus gave us the command to take the gospel to people inside and outside our sphere of influence who will trust Christ and pay it forward themselves. The really great thing is that we accomplish this mission in the power of God Himself. He's given us everything we need, so you can't use lame excuses like "I'm not ready" or "I don't know enough." You are ready because God lives inside you. You know enough because at some point you trusted Christ. All you need to do is tell people how it happened.

Imagine yourself on a ship with an armload of lifesavers. All around you are people drowning and crying out for help. Will you just stand there and watch them die? That's exactly what you are doing when you pass up a chance to tell someone about Christ. Studies show that the majority of Christians trusted Christ before the age of 18, which means this is your best chance to help fulfill the Great Commission! You have time, you have talents, and you have treasures that can all be used to get the gospel message to people in your world who desperately need to hear it. Be creative, be loving, be prayerful, but most of all be obedient!

So, what gets you out of bed in the morning? For me, I'm fearful that those around me might die without Christ. I'm greedy for souls to come into God's Kingdom. I want to achieve great things for my great God because I have a relationship with my "soul Savior." For me, each day is another day to be used by God to help fulfill the Great Commission...because anything less than that would be a great misfortune.

Head: What you need to know about this truth

Jesus gave all believers the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20) which commands us to "go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit" and to "teach these new disciples to obey all the commands" He gave us. Therefore we must use our time, talents, and treasures to spread the gospel message inside and outside our sphere of influence.

Heart: What you need to feel about this truth

From this day forward, I want you to picture every unsaved person you know with a huge sign hanging around his or her neck that reads " Destined For Hell". Over time, this will develop a broken heart in you for those who don't have a relationship with God through Jesus. Also, pray every day that God will give you the same compassion for the lost that He has.

Hands: What you need to do about this truth

The key to fulfilling the Great Commission is found in one simple word:

GO

Don't expect people to come banging on your door asking how they can be saved. Jesus didn't, which is why He commanded us to get off our feeble foolish fannies and start telling people about Jesus! Don't make it harder than it is folks, you come into contact with the unsaved EVERYDAY. Pray for them by name, invite them to youth group, witness in a chat room, IM the gospel, write a letter, share your testimony, support a missionary, or come up with your own Spirit led strategy. Quit spending your time straightening the pictures in a burning building, the time for action is now!