It is very true that a lot of people need to workout at the "why." What do I mean by working out at the "why?" We must continuously revisit the reason why we do what we do. By continuously revisiting your "why," then you are building that muscle of motivation for what you're trying to accomplish. What's motivating us to keep pressing forward? My pastor, Jimmy Patillo, is teaching a class at Life Christian University which is called discovering your purpose. In that class, he teaches on the "why" topic. There are a few prominent things that I learned in that class. You must have a clear understanding of exactly why you are going to the mission you are undertaking. You must also have unshakable confidence in your "why." This is important because many people will be drawn to it. So few people ever attain a passion for anything. Sociologist Mahin Gosine mentions in his book, Whatever Happened to the Real America, that America as a whole has a become a consuming country instead of a producing country. I can't disagree with him at all. We love to consume new things. We go from one job to another. We go from one relationship to another. We're always buying new clothes and shoes. We move from town or home to another. Most of us are never stable. We never spend enough time doing one thing, so that we could become passionate or expertise. Many people will be inspired with your "why." Know and embrace your "why," then write it plainly for all to know and understanding as well. I mentioned in part 1 that a lot of my "whys" come from God. There are a lot of things that I do on a daily basis. Here are 9 of my "whys" on a biblical level:
1. Why do I attend church?
"Not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching." -Hebrews 10:25 (NIV)
2. Why do I study the word?
"Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth." - 2 Timothy 2:15 (NIV)
3. Why do I pray?
"Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up." -Luke 18:1 (NIV)
4. Why do I live by Faith?
"But my righteous one will live by faith. And I take no pleasure in the one who shrinks back." - Hebrews 10:38 (NIV)
5. Why do I speak and pray in tongues?
"For anyone who speaks in a tongue does not speak to people but to God. Indeed, no one understands them; they utter mysteries by the Spirit." - 1 Corinthians 14:2 (NIV)
"26 In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. 27 And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God." -Romans 8:26, 27 (NIV)
6. Why do I tithe?
8 “Will a mere mortal rob God? Yet you rob me. But you ask, ‘How are we robbing you? In tithes and offerings. 9 You are under a curse—your whole nation—because you are robbing me. 10 Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the Lord Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it. 11 I will prevent pests from devouring your crops, and the vines in your fields will not drop their fruit before it is ripe, says the Lord Almighty. 12 Then all the nations will call you blessed, for yours will be a delightful land, says the Lord Almighty." -Malachi 3:8-12 (NIV)
7. Why do I submit myself to God?
"Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you." -James 4:7 (NIV)
8. Why do I fast?
16 “When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show others they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 17 But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, 18 so that it will not be obvious to others that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you." -Matthew 6:16-18 (NIV)
9. Why do I praise God?
"Yet you are enthroned as the Holy One;
you are the one Israel praises." - Psalms 22:3 (NIV)
These are just a few "whys." My "whys" never end.
