A family member of mine was on the way to church one Sunday morning and tells of his truck being chased by a dog. Now that in and of itself is not such a remarkable thing. Who of us hasn’t had their vehicle, bicycle, or even just legs, chased by a dog. But this tale is not of an ordinary dog, but a dog that appeared to be pretty crippled up. In spite of his condition, this dog was so driven to chase cars that running uphill with a banged up body was not holding him back.

Now you or I may have elected to just stay on the porch and let some other person-I mean dog – chase the car. After all, we are up in years and pretty banged up. But not this dog. I’ll have to give my brother in law credit for this insight. “I want to have that same drive to serve God as that dog did to chase my truck…a drive so intense that personal/physical circumstances cannot cause me to give up.”

I remember when the gymnast Kerri Strug completed a vault with a severly sprained ankle, (they thought it was broken at the time) and stuck the landing. She had to be carried from the platform, but she accomplished the gold.

Should not our motivation be much more intense than that of a dog chasing cars? Is not our aim for something of much more value than a gold medalion and fleeting fame?

Paul shares a scripture with us in 2 Corinthians that speaks to that drive. “We are afflicted in every way, but not curshed; perplexed, but not despairing; persecuted, but no forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifest in our body.” 2Cor.4:8-10 NASU

All too often it seems we can come up with dozens of reasons as to why we can’t do a service, or make a commitment. It’s easy to begin to pile on the excuses to add weight to the reasoning, when the truth be told, our heart just isn’t in it. My prayer is that God would fill each of us with a drive of heart so intense that service to Christ and His Church; to Christ and His people; would consume us.

Perhaps the world has yet to see what can be accomplished by you, when you love God with all of your heart, soul, strength and mind.