Why do you do what you do? (Jude 1:4)

You give them an inch; they swim all over you! (Sebastian the Crab)

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High schoolers are often both amazingly brilliant and incredibly shortsighted! As a high school teacher, my students understood there were certain behaviors I would entertain, but I had a fairly well-drawn line. For instance, at the beginning of a school year at Drew High School, as I was calling roll for my second period class, one of my students stood up, walked around his desk, and sat down. "Interesting," I thought, and let it slide. Just a few minutes later, he did it again! Now, not a huge distraction, but a distraction nevertheless and one I knew I could not let slide much longer. The old proverb, "Give them an inch and they'll take a mile," was coming into play here. So I asked, "What are you doing?" And he replied with something like, "I just wanted to take a walk." I told him, "Got it. Please don't do it again." Not three minutes later, he's up and trotting around his desk like a greyhound chasing a rabbit. Knowing I could not let this continue to stand, I sent him to the office right away. When he returned a week later, I had no such issues with him. He was brilliant at testing the waters just a little but shortsighted in understanding the long-term ramifications. The way most high school students treat substitute teachers is another example. Generally, the main teacher leaves a lesson plan and work for the class to do. Often, the substitute teacher is fairly lenient on the class, and, frankly, if the class played it right, they would get away with having a very relaxed day. However, most high school students are brilliant at making substitute teachers cry and dash from the classroom at the end of the day, swearing never to return! Each of the classes, on the other hand, are high-fiving each other at destroying this adult's self-esteem. Teenagers are masters at stretching an inch of freedom into a mile of destruction!

Defined as "The desire to act in service of a goal (Psychology Today), motivation is what drives a person to accomplish any vision or goal. My student wanted to test the how the rest of the school year would go. Would he be able to get up and do what he wished or did I have some boundaries for classroom management? Substitute teachers often come in with the motivation of making some extra money, perhaps having an easy day, and generally with a desire to help students learn. The students, on the other hand, often have the motivation of making that person's life an utter hell! These intrinsic motivations are important to understand, especially when evaluating any leadership. They answer the question, "Why does the leader do what the leader does?" Often, the leader is motivated either by self or by an ideology bigger than self.

Having reminded his readers of their own identity (Called, Cherished, Kept) in verses 1-2 and then set up a vision and expectation of fighting for truth in verse 3, Jude describes, in verses 4-16, some people he wants his readers to watch out for who are entering into their body of believers. He calls them "individuals . . . [who] have secretly slipped in" and "ungodly people." These are seen as people of influence who have begun teaching falsehoods and who "pervert" and "deny." And he describes them on the basis of their motivation. Why? Because understanding the goal of a person's acts help us to understand what he or she is in service to and also what that person is working towards.

Couples I see in marriage counseling regularly exhibit the power of motivation. Most engaged couples want to believe that each member of the couple is working towards the greater good of each other and the lifelong union in which they are entering. Very few enter into marriage with the idea that it won't work out or that love (or sex!) cannot conquer all issues. Yet, they have not had that conversation with each other. (This is why I require pre-marital counseling of any couples I marry.) I want the couple to have the conversations where they discuss motivations for marriage, leisure time, finances, etc. It keeps at bay the statements down the road of "I need to find myself" or "I didn't know what I was getting into" or "I need to live for myself right now" or something similarly ludicrous. Marriage cannot work without desiring to act in the service of each other. In the same way, a body of people--church members, team members, families, etc.--who are not in service to the same goal will not work for long. Jude is ardently telling his readers that people are coming in who are indubitably working towards a different goal than the "faith that was once for all entrusted to God's people" (v. 3). As he describes them, their goal is service to the truth of self, not service to the higher truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

These men we call "false teachers," and they are motivated intrinsically by inner service to self alone. Over the next few verses, Jude lays out five (5) characteristics of the false teachers' selfish motivations: 

1. They are Instinctual/Sensual;

2. Self is ultimate authority;

3. There is nothing greater than the material self;

4. Self-service is the goal;

5. Their lives exhibit the fruit of selfishness.

These five motivations will be explored more deeply over the next few weeks. It is important for all who are reading this to recognize that all leaders are motivated by something internally. Some begin with selfish motivations. Other begin with the purest of intentions. Regardless, desiring to act in service of self always turns out poorly for the team. The faithful leader, like Jude, will help his or her people withstand these false teachers.

REFLECTION

1. What is your vision?

2. Why do you want to achieve it? Why is it important to you?

3. What are your core values?

4. What impact do you hope to have?

5. Are you receiving affirmation, support, warnings, and course corrections from others?