How do you motivate people? One pastor had an interesting approach. A depressed and overweight man came to him because he couldn’t lose weight or find a date. The pastor said, “I can help you. At eight in the morning be ready to exercise.” The man said, “I’ve tried all the exercise programs and they don’t work,” to which the pastor replied, “This works. Be ready at eight.” The pastor was adamant so the man was ready at 8:00 a.m.

When the doorbell rang, the man went to the door and there he saw a gorgeous woman in an exercise suit. She said, “The pastor told me to tell you that if you can catch me you can marry me.” And then she took off. He huffed and puffed after her but he couldn’t catch her. This routine continued for several months and the man lost about fifty pounds. He became a lean, mean, running machine. 

The day finally came when he knew he could catch the woman. He was ready early and couldn’t wait for the doorbell to ring. When it rang, he ran to the door, jerked it open and saw the biggest woman he’d even seen dressed in a jogging suit waiting for him. She said, “The pastor told me to tell you that if I can catch you, I can marry you.” Last I heard the guy was still running!

All of us need some motivation at times. It may be to lose weight as the man in the story or to start a project we’ve been dreading or to be more involved in church. There are a lot of great opportunities for serving the Lord by serving others in and through our church. Ask Him for the motivation you need to become more involved. And, be prepared to run! 
~Bro. Ken