Thursday, October 4, 2012

All About the Why


Last Tuesday (Sept. 25) I had the privilege of sharing about Speed the Light to the youth at Cornerstone Church in Winchendon, MA. The whole crux of my talk was that we will never really understand Speed the Light if we only think of it in terms of the "what" (purchasing communication and transportation equipment for missionaries) and disregard the "why" (that people call on the name of the Lord and be saved). I said that I believe the "what" is merely a tool used to accomplish the "why." Why we do what we do is important!

On the following day (Wednesday, Sept. 26) I attended a weekly Bible study put on by my friend Joe and the ministry he works with (Campus Ambassadors) at a local college. The discussion hat night was on the importance of the "why" over the "what." He showed this powerfully thought-provoking TED Talk by Simon Sinek (If you can chunk out 15 minutes, I highly recommend watching it). I couldn't believe the connection.

It got me thinking...do I usually make the "why" my focus instead of the "what?" I certainly do in itineration. I introduce myself and my family, then I share why we do what we do. I talk about the importance of the Good News that we bring with us no matter our context (where we are) or what we do (the programs). The context changes, but the message stays the same! What we do changes but the "why" remains the same. I'm not sure how well I do it in other situations though. I'll tell you one thing, I'm certainly more intentional about it now.


On that Thursday (Sept. 27) I had the privilege to speak about missions to the youth at Faith Christian Assembly in Middletown, CT. It became apparent to me what I should speak on. So I preached about getting a hold of and focusing on the "why" instead of the "what." We talked about the importance of understanding the heartbeat of God - that none should perish. We do what we do because we believe that Christ died for all. And He commanded us to share that truth with those that do not know. We can't decide if others will accept or not, but we can decide if we will be obedient to do our part of sharing. All Christians have a share in this responsibility.


So, how about you? Whether in life in general, your faith, your job, etc., do you find yourself focusing on the "why" or the "what?" Everyone ultimately has some idea of what they're doing, but it's those who focus on knowing and understanding why they do it who succeed. I want to encourage you to be intentional in your life and focus on the "why." If you.don't know what drives you, then I encourage you to work on figuring that out. I believe you'll be better off for it.

In Christ,


Mike

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