Why?

Reverse the Why

Every day people ask God, why? Sometimes it's out of pain, fear or desperation. Other times it's a plea for clarity. Instead of drilling down on the reasons why people ask the question, let's reverse it. I'm not going to lie, this may be tough, but there is no judgment here.

Why Did You Do It?

We all could be asked that same question: why? Why did you do it? Why are you doing that? Why didn't you obey? Why did you ask? And so on.

Romans 10:13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

Why did you call on the Name of the Lord? Was it self-preservation, or were you looking for a relationship with Him? By the way, did you know from what you're were being saved, or to what for that matter?

Romans 2:38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.

Why did you repent and why were you baptized? Yes, we just read for the remission of sins and to receive the Gift of Holy Spirit. Was the repentance for your sake or His? To be fair, when we first came to God, we weren't exactly spiritually discerned. We came to Him, because He drew us to Himself. One of the things He did was convict us of sin, righteousness and judgment.

John 16:8-11 And He (Holy Spirit), when He comes, will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment; concerning sin, because they do not believe in Me; and concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father and you no longer see Me; and concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world has been judged.

So yes, more than likely, there was an element of self-preservation. Smile, coming to Him was not your idea; it was His, because He loves you!

John 1:12-13 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.

Why Do You?

The reason we did what we did was because God introduced Himself to us. We love Him because He first loved us; it was not the other way around. So now you're in a relationship with Him. Here's a what question, before continuing with why: what does your relationship with God look like now? The type of relationship you have with Him helps answer the why questions.

Earlier, the question was why did you repent? Now that you're in a relationship with Him, your motives may have changed since then. So, if you were having to repent of anything now, why would you? Is it fear or love? In other words, would it be from the standpoint of being afraid of losing something, to include rewards? Maybe it would be fear of facing judgment, since we all have stand at the Judgment Seat of Christ (2 Corinthians 5:10). Perhaps, it's the fear of some sort of reprisal, or discipline.

Perchance, is it because of love? If that's the case, repentance and sorrow would come from the thought of hurting God (ABBA, Jesus and Spirit)? It would be about the relationship, not fear. The fear of the Lord is healthy, but being afraid is something different. If you wrestle with unhealthy fear, connect with His love. Study about His love, if you're unsure about it.

1 John 4:17-19 By this, love is perfected with us, so that we may have confidence in the day of judgment; because as He is, so also are we in this world. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love. We love, because He first loved us.

Why do you ask for things? Yes, it's sounds meddlesome, but that's not the intent. Is God enough? Do we require things to be satisfied? Are we content with what we have? It's not that He doesn't want us to ask for things, otherwise, we wouldn't He encourage us to do so. However, what motivates us is important. Study the will of God in relation to prayer. Do we ask in order to receive to fulfill the mission? Do we ask for a blessing to bless others? Do we ask because we feel unfulfilled?

If you're asking for things to fill a void, there is an issue. No condemnation here, just a point of clarity. This leads to one more why question: why do you do what you do? It's the dreaded altruistic question. The reason for which we do things, does make a difference in our joy. For instance, how much joy do you feel when you feel manipulated, or have to do something under compulsion? How much joy do you feel, when it's to feel appreciated? How joyful are you when there is no thank you?

When we do things out love, our joy abounds. Obedience seeks to please God out of love, which is another reason we experience so much joy when we serve as His children.

   Jesus said, "If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love; just as I have kept My Father's commandments and abide in His love. These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full. This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you" (John 15:10-12).