Know Your Why

April 25, 2024

From Pastor Eileen States

I was told a few months ago that if you ever wanted to make a change in your life and for it to stick you have to “know your why”. If we don’t “know our why” and don’t keep it in the forefront of our mind, we will lose motivation and give up before success is achieved. 

I believe this also pertains to our life as Christians. Why do we call ourselves Christians and live the way we do? Pause for a moment and answer that question for yourself. I believe the early Christian church “knew their why” and lived it out with every fiber of their being. They wanted everyone to know where their hope and strength came from. They wanted to share Jesus and His love with everyone they came in contact with. Here we sit nearly 2000 years beyond the birth of the Christian church, and I ask myself, do we “know our why”?

Jesus shared a simple but profound illustration with His disciples the last evening before His death. He pointed to a grape vine and simply said, “I am the vine, you are the branches. Stay connected to Me and you will naturally bear fruit.” Do you know how often I miss this point? 

My attention has often been drawn to John 15:8 where it says Jesus desires us to be fruit bearers so that His Father would be glorified. Therefore, I, calling myself a Christian, become intent on “bearing fruit”. I become focused on my behavior and living the right way in order to prove I am a Christian. But, if I am reading my Bible correctly, Jesus does NOT command us to bear fruit.  He instead encourages us to stay connected to Him (the Vine). The fruit will naturally grow and be seen as a result of being connected to Him.  

John 15:16 comes later in the context of having an abiding, loving friendship with Jesus. He says, “You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit.”  

So here is my “why”. I am a Christian because I know Jesus. I have experienced an intimate friendship with Him for many years now, and I value His leadership in my life. I have felt His love and forgiving grace in my life. Has my life been perfect and free from trials as a result? No. Has He walked with me through those trials? Yes, He has. I desire for others to get to know God/Jesus as I have come to know Him. I want others to anticipate an eternal home with their friend Jesus. 

So, do you “know your why”?