I spent a lot of years in the military. I met a lot of soldiers. If you asked them why they signed up to serve, you would get many different answers. Some did it for love of country. Others for the steady paycheck. Some craved the challenge, the camaraderie, or the chance to travel. Many saw it as a way to escape a bad home life. Some had limited employment opportunities, and the Army was the best offer they had. I met many who joined because of the educational benefits. Recruiting officials entice prospective soldiers with various incentives. 

Even though soldiers had different motives, they all wore the same uniform. They were all soldiers. 

In many ways, this is true in the Christian life. The Lord calls all believers to follow Him and be His disciples. This involves obedience and sacrifice. But what is the motive for doing so? The believer already has eternal life, which cannot be lost. Why would any believer sign up to suffer with Christ? 

Often, Christians think there is only one pure motive. We are to serve the Lord because we love Him. Other motivations are seen as inferior.  

But Scripture tells us that there are many motives for following the Lord. All of them are godly. None should be denigrated.  

Believers can serve the Lord because they fear Him (Prov 1:7; 2 Cor 5:11). They can also do it out of gratitude (Ps 116:12; Col 3:17). A holy motivation for obeying the Lord is the desire for rewards, both in this life and the one to come (Heb 11:6; 1 Cor 3:14; Matt 6:3-6; Ps 1:1-3; Deut 28:1-2; Gal 6:7-9). Related to this motivation is the desire to hear His praise at the Judgment Seat of Christ and bring honor to Him in the process (Matt 25:21). Both the Lord and Peter said that believers should be motivated to serve Him because such a life can benefit others (Matt 5:16; 1 Pet 3:1-2). If we are parents, godly living can provide an excellent example for our children. 

A believer may want to obey the Lord because he wants to mature in his faith. He wants to be more like Christ (Heb 5:14; 2 Cor 3:18). That is a pretty good motivation!  

Of course, a proper motivation for following Christ is our love for Him. The NT lists that as a motivation (John 14:15; 1 John 4:19). The problem is that often we are told this is the only “true” motivation. Other motivations may even be sinful. Seeking rewards is viewed as selfish. Only an immature believer would serve the Lord out of fear. If you are a mature believer, everything will flow out of your love for Him. You should ask the Lord to take away these other motivations. 

Hogwash. 

Not only does such a view reject Biblical motivations for godly living, but it also leads to pride. We can hear a Christian say, “I don’t need to be rewarded for what I do for the Lord. I wouldn’t even want a reward from Him. I do it all out of love.”  

Please. 

We could hear a Calvinist say, “If you are of the elect and are really saved, the Holy Spirit will produce in you the desire to obey Him solely out of love.” 

Spare me. 

Just as I met many soldiers who faithfully served in the military for a variety of reasons, a Christian can please the Lord because of various motivations. They are not sinful. In certain circumstances, he will obey for a particular reason. When he is dealing with his children, he wants to leave them a good example. If he is suffering, he endures because of the reward the Lord promises him for doing so. He may avoid the sexual advances of a woman because he fears the Lord’s discipline. Sometimes, he obeys because he loves the Lord. A believer who is motivated by any of these things is being faithful to the Lord.  

Many faithful US soldiers have died on battlefields. They were motivated to go to battle for a variety of reasons. One man’s sacrifice was no less patriotic because he served for one reason while another fallen soldier had a seemingly nobler reason. 

The Bible says we should serve the Lord for various reasons. The Holy Spirit can produce all of these godly motivations in us. They are all valid and please the King.