Genesis 29:20 " And Jacob served seven years for Rachel; and they seemed unto him

but a few days, for the love he had to her." Have you ever went past your bedtime by being caught up in something that you loved to do? Perhaps you were talking to a loved one on the telephone. Or maybe, you became sucked into a new computer game or program that really interested you. Whatever the activity is, if love is motivating you to do it, time seems to fly right on by. This was the case with Jacob when he had to serve Laban for many years to obtain the right to marry Rachel. That particular verse listed above states that Jacob worked for Rachel for seven years. However, if you continue reading Genesis chapter 29, you will see that Laban deceived Jacob into working for Rachel for an additional seven years! Even though Jacob had to devote fourteen years of his life just to obtain one person, he performed the task anyway. Why did he do such a thing? Well, for one thing, Jacob loved Rachel. This brought me to ask myself the following question; What should be our reason for working for God? The answer is love; Love for God, love for our neighbors, and love for ourselves. Love does not conceal, but rather, it shares its experience. The love and peace that we experience when we come to Christ will lead us to share our experience with our neighbors. If we are not working for God out of love, then the only other motive that will push us to work for God is selfishness. God is working tirelessly on our behalf in order to save us. He sends His angels to protect us from danger, He sends the Holy Spirit to strive with our rebellious hearts, and He even sent His Son Jesus to die for our sins. What would cause God to provide such a sacrifice for us humans here on earth? And what would motivate Jesus to go through with the sufferings that He experienced for us? Let's take a look at Hebrews 12:2 concerning Jesus' mindset as He lived His life to die for us. "...who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God." Love and joy are the two factors that motivate the heavenly family to work for our salvation. God is filled with love for us because His nature is love. God is also filled with joy because He cannot wait for the day when we can dwell with Him in peace for eternity. I lived for about eighteen years before I devoted my life to Jesus. Some people lived longer than I have before they decided to commit their lives to the Lord. If Jacob could be willing to serve fourteen years just to marry someone he loved, how much more time, energy, and effort do you think God puts into our salvation? When love is the motivating factor in any type of work, the labor is a pleasant delight. Is it possible that many of us are trying to put working for God before our love for God? The result of such a religion would either bring about pride, or an unrewarding, tiring, and empty lifestyle. Love is always to precede the work that we do for our God. By looking at the sacrifice which He provided us with while we were unworthy, our hearts should fill up with love for Him. Only then will we be able to do what Christ has asked of us. It is love that should motivate us to obey God, and the only way this will occur is if we see how much He loves us by reading and His Word(See 1 John 4:19).

If love is truly our motivating factor behind serving God, we will be in heaven before you know it! Jacob served many years for Rachel, "and they seemed unto him but a few days, for the love he had to her."(Genesis 29:20) If you feel as if your life is slowly dragging along, maybe it's because you do not have Jesus as the love of your life. As the saying goes, "Time flies when your having fun." Jude 1:21 says, "Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life." The only way we can see the mercy of Jesus is by reading His Word and contemplating the wonderful sacrifice that He has provided for us. By doing these things, our love for Him will grow, and our lives which are dedicated to the service of God will be turned into a delight.