It’s a fair question—one that we need to ask ourselves on a regular basis. Is it sports? Money? Travel? Career? Possessions?

Don’t get me wrong—these are not bad things in themselves. In fact we are so blessed in this country that most are part of our daily lives.

It is prudent to evaluate them and have the proper perspective on each one, because we need to know—do they drive us—or does something else?

The most important aspect of taking stock in our priorities is to be honest about it. That would seem an easy task since we are examining them in our own lives for our own benefit. After all, we must be certain we have the proper focus, especially since it has eternal consequences.

How then are we to view these aspects of our lives appropriately in order to have Godly attitudes and be the husbands and wives and parents we are called to be? Perhaps eliminating sports would be a good start? Although there are some who would vote for that, I cannot say that it is a Biblical perspective in itself.

However, if our focus in life is on sports, and our passions are clearly fixed upon our favorite teams, and we plan and plot the majority of our lives around those events, it may indeed be a problem. I must say here that the majority of people I know do not fall into this category.

I have targeted sports for the sake of discussion, but the fact is that money, travel, career, possessions, etc., all fall under this same heading. It is a matter of where our hearts are—what are we motivated by, impassioned about, enthusiastic over, driven by?

Obviously, we must be focused entirely on God and His purposes. Whatever else we have in our lives, including but not limited to the above, we must hold them loosely and with a God-centered perspective.

If God were to call you to give up travel, your possessions, your home, would you struggle with it? If He asked you to eliminate all of it and more from your life, how would you respond? This may very well not be a hypothetical question—God may have already told you to do exactly that, and although you know it, you haven’t acted upon it. You need to.

As we focus our lives on what God has called us to do, on being good husbands and wives, on raising Godly children, let us ask the question, “What motivates me?” After an honest look, we must decide if our passions and focus are on the right things.

If you’re not sure you’re being honest, ask your wife or your husband, or a trusted friend—they’ll tell you. Then act on what God has for you. It will be an amazing adventure full of excitement and fulfillment, I can promise you that.

My friend and pastor, Dr. David Platt gives us scriptural guidelines for how we are to view possessions and treasures here on earth in his best-selling book Radical. If you are earnestly evaluating these things in your life, I recommend it highly.

Question: Do you struggle with what motivates you? Feel free to leave a Comment below.