Motivation matters. Fear and faith, love and hate, greed and generosity, duty and desire – all these fuel our actions. What we call motivation, the Bible terms “heart”. If we lose heart, then we have lost the drive to perform.Notice the logical (and emotional) progression in today’s text: First, we hope in God. We look to Him alone for recognition, for resources, for reward. We do not place our hopes in men to accept us or appreciate us. Nor do we expect complete happiness in this life; we set our hope completely on the grace to be brought to us at the revelation of Jesus Christ (1 Peter 1:13). Then, we resolve to do our duty. We stand firm against opposition, persevere despite obstacles. We hold fast to God’s promises and refuse to give in to laziness or despair. Finally, God fans the dying embers of our love into a fire of devotion to Himself and to His kingdom. He sends the wind of His Spirit to fill our sails and impel us forward. He adds fuel to the engines of our expectations. Just when we are about to give up, He descends with resurrection power to accomplish His good will in our lives