When we study various subjects, be it math, history, athletics, medicine…we learn what, when, where and how, but more often than not, we do not consider the why. Why do we worship? Why do we go to church? Why do we take the Lord’s supper? Why baptize people? We stress the mechanics and elements of each thing, but the power is in the why. The motivation is in the why. When you find your why, then the how and what fall into place.
A story about a young mother with a child who could not walk but had to wear heavy braces to get around. This woman needed money to provide treatments and training for her child, so she went into business for herself and many wondered if she would succeed. However, one wise person remarked that she would be a success because she knew her why. Sometimes we live our life and never figure out our why.
We wander about, we question, but we never find our why. Job was one of these. He constantly wanted to know why he was suffering, and as far as we know, he never found out. But he found one thing bigger than the why and that is the who and the who was God. Christians usually understand the who, and when we understand the who, the why doesn’t really matter. But to us earthlings, the why in our life is critically important.
Finding your what? when? where? how? ALL IMPORTANT but motivation is in the WHY! Why baptism? We know the what, where, when and how, but do we know the why? Truly if we know the who is GOD, then we won’t question the why so much. Job discovered that.
Why be baptized? Why worship? Why serve? Why the church? Why Jesus? Why salvation? Even more importantly consider love. What is love? How do we love? When? Where? The important question here is. Why? The Bible provides the answer in one powerful verse — I John 4:19 — We love Him … because He first love us.
When we understand the why, we love Him because He first loved us, then we will respond in loving obedience the rest of our life.
–Ivy Conner