Do You Know Your Why?
THE STORY OF GRANDMA’S POT ROAST
The original “why” was to produce a delicious meal with what was available
This WHY was lost over time and replaced with a WHY that possessed limited understanding and was much less effective.
HOW MANY TIMES HAVE WE DONE THIS? How many times have we done something for years on end with little to no thought as to why we were doing it that way, or perhaps, why we were doing it at all.
JOHN 5: THE INVALID IS HEALED; UNDERSTANDING IS CHALLENGED
“Don’t heal this man!!!” “WHY?” “Because you’re doing this on the sabbath”
The original WHY was not to LABOR on the sabbath; not to work and toil at something... but to rest.
The religious leader’s WHY replaced the original meaning with a limited understanding of the scripture and a MUCH less powerful ministry of Christ’s love... because they viewed healing a man in the power and love of Christ as a JOB... and not an outflow extension of whose they were supposed to be!
WHAT IS YOUR “WHY”
If you’ve reached a point where the things you do seem routine or stagnant, it may be time to review your WHY.
The Pharisees view of scripture had become so about rules regulations and tradition to achieve eternal life, they didn’t even recognize the Savior, WHO GIVES ETERNAL LIFE, staring them in the face... Their WHY didn’t match the original intent
V. 39 - The ultimate WHY of salvation and following the Lord’s is to be in fellowship and spend eternity WITH HIM ... however, the WHY of their searching and presenting of scripture had become about receiving glory from those they lead.
Which leads toooooo.......
DOES YOUR WHY HOLD UP?
Over time, things can change: Motives, methods, ministries, matches ... When they do, it’s time to review your WHY.
Once you’ve actually been honest and determined what that is, you also need to determine if it holds up to God’s purposes and plans for you.
V. 33-38
John had a ministry that was on fire... but ultimately, his WHY was to point people to and prepare the way for Jesus.
Some people followed John’s ministry but wouldn’t follow or believe the very Savior he was preaching about
John 3:23-30
Some people followed the Pharisee’s teachings which were based in scripture but STILL wouldn’t follow Jesus ... WHY did they follow John or the Pharisees then?
Maybe John’s followers thought his ministry was the same as the Pharisees but John’s DELIVERY was cooler or more relevant... Maybe they saw a way to receive honor or prestige amongst each other... yet when it came time to walk out the message they were supposed to believe ... they wouldn’t believe it. In this way, they received NOTHING in the end ... in the light of Christ, their WHYs no longer held up.
CLOSING THOUGHTS
The ultimate WHY for our very existence is to be in loving fellowship with the Father... EVERYTHING is an outflow of that WHY. The more we feel His love, the more we should want to share it, be a part of things that bring people closer to Him and so on and so on.
However, we can find ourselves doing things within that context that over time, cease to really support and hold up the MAIN THING!
Many times, this happens when we cease to bring those things before the Lord. David asked God to search him and try him... to reveal if there were things that needed to change.
Often, we find something that is working and cease to bring it before God for His blessing and guidance ... and can still be doing it LONG after it has ceased to be effective just because our WHY for it has become “well, that’s how I’ve always done it.”
The important thing in ALL of this is to stay in touch with His guidance ... this is how we know what needs to change and what needs to remain in our lives and ministries over time. Remember, He promised the Spirit would guide us in ALL TRUTH!
And showing people the Way, the TRUTH and the Life is WHY we do what we do!
