Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you. ( Ephesians 4:32 32 and be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving each other, even as God also in Christ forgave you. )

God motivates us to feel and to do what we should by calling to our minds his past performances of love and his future promises of love — some near, some far.

Be sure that you are connected to the way God means to motivate you with the backward look and the distant forward look and the near forward look. For example:

Motivation by the backward look:

Forgive one another, as God in Christ forgave you. ( Ephesians 4:32 32 and be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving each other, even as God also in Christ forgave you. )

Motivation by the distant forward look:

Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven. ( Matthew 5:12 12 Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets that were before you. )

Let us go to him outside the camp and bear the reproach he endured. For here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come. ( Hebrews 13:13 13 Let us therefore go forth unto him without the camp, bearing his reproach. –14)

Motivation by the near forward look:

Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” ( Hebrews 13:5 5 Be ye free from the love of money; content with such things as ye have: for himself hath said, I will in no wise fail thee, neither will I in any wise forsake thee. )