Getting Our “Want To” Fixed!

By Jeff Arnette

    Fondly, I remember these words from my grandfather. Sometimes, I long to hear his loving voice telling me, “Jeff, you need to get your want to fixed.” It took countless years to finally hear the love, wisdom, and hope in his words and I am grateful for them.
    His words remind me that motivation is a funny thing and often we do not want to do something because our motivations are askew, or, other things are competing with the important things in our life. These words of wisdom from grandfather remind me to examine my motives and inspire me to give it my all, even when I do not feel like it or want to.
    In 2 Cor. 13:5-6, Paul encourages us to examine ourselves to see if we are really living up to the standard that God has set for us, to see if we are really in the faith. In all fairness, I should say that it gets easier with time and experience, but it never gets easy. I think this is why God continually reminds to look within and examine our motives. Let me share with you some things that should help us as we strive to “get our want to fixed.”
    Something that should motivate us to keep going is knowing that we’re not alone in this journey. Surrounded by a huge family who loves us, cheers, and supports us; we are encouraged to keep trying. Just remember that all of us are at different points in this journey of faith but we are striving for the same goal of Christlikeness.
    Something else that motivates us is the Lord’s Supper. Every time we gather around the Lord’s Table, we’re reminded to look inward. Reflecting on the sacrifice of Jesus helps us to get the world out and replace it with more of Jesus. It reminds us to live in such a way, that we glorify and honor the One who loved us and died for us.
    Something else that helps us is the worship services. Every time we gather together to worship and praise our great God and Christ, we are reminded to look inward. We should take worship services seriously because it is the primary way God will motivate and encourage a deeper walk with Him.
    These are a few of the things that should motivate us to consider our motivations and get it fixed. I am sure you can think of other that I don’t have the space to even consider but I hope you get my point.
    It is my prayer and heart’s desire that we will all be motivated to serve Jesus, His people, and this church with all the love that we can muster. What will it take to get your “Want To” fixed?

- Jeff Arnette preaches for the Central Haywood church of Christ, Clyde, NC.  He may be contacted through the congregation's website: https://centralhaywoodcoc.com/