StudyGrowKnow

What is Your WHY?

February 27, 2026 at 4:08 PM Leave a comment

My wife and I recently attended a workshop at our church for leaders. It was interesting and the format was rather casual. We gathered for lunch, listened to several people share their testimonies about what brought them into leadership positions and why, and there was a time of discussion at each table of people. Unfortunately, my wife and I had to leave early because we needed to be somewhere so we missed the discussion part of the workshop. However, I noticed several questions at the table that were to be used as discussion starters. The one that stuck out to me had “What is Your WHY?” on it.

Put another way, the question could be What motivates you to live your life as a Christian? I appreciated the testimonies provided by those who spoke because I learned about them, what drives them, about their faith in God and how they relied on Him to help them become more involved in the Great Commission.

There were a few individuals who essentially exhorted us as well. One in particular involved providing a “list” of sorts of how to do things better. We should be more intentional in our conversations with others. We should care more about inserting the Gospel into our conversations with others so that they will come to see the Truth. Certainly, these are good things to note, however, the problem with these “lists” is that they can simply become forms of legalism. In other words, we can see them as “check off” lists, ensuring that we’ve done everything we are supposed to do to bring the Gospel to those in need of it.

If it becomes a form of legalism, then we’re approaching things the wrong way. Is there a better way? I believe there is and I would like to emphasize that I do not do the things I’m going to share perfectly. No one does. In fact, Paul didn’t even do things perfectly all the time as he has made abundantly clear in his writings.

The problem with trying to outline the Christian life in the form of lists or check-off points is that it can come down to a set of “dos and don’ts”. It doesn’t matter who you read in Scripture because there are numerous times many of the things emphasized can be easily taken as simply lists that believers need to fulfill in order to be and remain in God’s will. If we are not actively participating in fulfilling those “lists,” then we consider ourselves out of God’s will. The Pharisees in Scripture are a perfect example of this mentality.

The interesting thing is that outwardly, the things we tend to “check off” may look good and wholesome to another person. You’re busy helping someone in need. You volunteer for committees or within other service areas at your local church. You put on a smile and dig in to get things done. Yet, you go home exhausted. Why? Because you used energy derived from Self, rather than from God’s Spirit living within you. The question is how to access the right motivation?

I recall years ago reading books by Andrew Murray. He always talked about “abiding in Christ” and even though he spent pages and pages trying to explain it, I never really understood what he was talking about because of the fact that he seemed so esoteric in his explanations. Hudson Taylor was the same way. I’m not trying to negate or be critical of their writings, but I think a better explanation is in order for Christians today and I also believe the Lord is showing me that way. If what I’m sharing resonates within you (and agrees with Scripture!), then it may be something that will end up directing your steps as well.

Let me repeat by clearly stating that what I am sharing in this series (starting with my previous article[1]), is not something that I live perfectly…yet. In fact, living it perfectly will not occur until the day I am translated into our Lord’s Presence, when He removes my sin nature and gives me a glorified body, fit for eternity.

However, now in this life, I am starting to see glimpses of this living reality. As I noted last time, it all begins with our LORD removing the heart of stone from within us and replacing it with a heart of flesh. That is His job.

I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. (Ezekiel 36:26 NKJV)

This concept is absolutely key to understanding how to live the Christian life successfully. It is the difference between living as the average ancient Israelites, many of whom simply went through the motions of outwardly obeying all aspects of the Law while their hearts were far from God (Isaiah 29:13; Matthew 15:8, etc.).

If we are not careful, we believers can easily become legalistic in our approach to living for God. I’ve attended churches in the past who were right on doctrinally. I could go down the list and go, “Yep, yep, yes, that’s right” etc., but in numerous cases, the people themselves were somewhat cold, legalistic in their approach to service and to God. Why? I believe it’s because they failed to recognize the connection between having a heart of flesh (created by God), which more naturally prompts a person to live accordingly versus doing things with little to no desire but doing them because you should. There is a world of difference between these two things.

I believe when Paul says something like “I want to know Christ and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to Him in His death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead” (Philippians 3:11 Berean Standard Bible), he’s admitting something. While it almost seems as though Paul did not know Jesus and wasn’t sure if he would be raised from the dead after he left this life, this is clearly not the case.

Paul had just finished talking about all of his alleged “qualifications” yet casts them aside (Philippians 3:7-9). He came to realize that nothing he did in his own self-effort and strength brought him any closer to God for salvation. He had come to realize that it was only in Jesus salvation was found and only in Jesus is the true motivation to live the Christian life.

…that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God on the basis of faith. (Philippians 3:9)

Notice that Paul is not talking about earning anything from God because that’s impossible. Previously, it seemed as though he felt his “qualifications” before God would be enough to merit reward and salvation, but then woke up to the reality that nothing he did could save himself. The truth is that we either receive what He offers as a gift or reject it and try to earn things on our own. We can easily do this same thing when it comes to living the Christian life out – either by self-effort or from a heart of flesh – after we receive salvation.

Paul rejected his own self-effort and reached instead for what God provided, hanging on for all his worth. He understood that receiving salvation entered a person into a process called sanctification, something that occurs over the remainder of our physical lives. In either case – salvation or sanctification – it is clear from Paul’s writings that he realized that God had given him a heart of flesh after he received salvation. How could he have remained standing as he went through all the persecutions he went through if he had not had a heart of flesh. It was this heart of flesh that drove him, that compelled him to serve God by serving others and in doing so, proving his very love for God. His life became one of worship to God that emanated from his heart of flesh.

Ultimately, having a heart of flesh means being moved by the compassion that God creates within us from having such a heart. When a believer is moved by compassion (Paul calls this the law of love in 1 Corinthians 13), that believer is actually living above the law. It provides a new, heavenly outlook for the believer, one that is anchored in a heart of flesh where the Christian life is lived out more naturally, rather than not having a growing heart of flesh in which our efforts to live as God wants us to live come from a heart of stone; one that is built on self-effort and strength. We’ll cover that more in-depth in an upcoming article.

So think of it. When the Christian is moved or motivated by a heart filled with compassion, it takes far less energy to automatically do what God wants us to do; to live as He wants us to live. It becomes more natural for us.

Conversely, when the Christian is motivated by a sense of “duty” or “I’d better to do this because this is what God expects,” (self-effort), that same Christian is apt to become tired, exhausted, irritated and frustrated. It is likely that type of Christian who tends to wander from God because they just get tired of using their own self-effort and energy to live the way God wants them to live. Outwardly though, that Christian may look like he/she has a heart of flesh because of all the things they do, but inside, they are floundering, frustrated and even defeated.

So while outwardly that Christian may be able to put on a facade that makes others think he/she is fully involved from the right motivation and wants to be doing what they are doing, it’s difficult for us to tell sometimes what motivates them. Humans are so practiced at putting on a front or facade in order to protect self, so others do not think badly of us. God discerns the actual motivation for that particular believer.

This is not to say, by the way, that all of us don’t experience times when we are down, frustrated, anxious and sad. This happens to all people, including believers. We are not talking about those times. We are talking about the overall attitude of the Christian most of the time. Does that believer reach out to others because of duty or because they are compelled by a heart of flesh (overflowing compassion).

The Bible constantly talks about having a “new heart,” a “heart of flesh (Ezekiel 11:19; 36:26)” “walking by the Spirit” (Galatians 5:16), “renewing of your mind” (Romans 12:2), being “pure in heart” (Matthew 5:8), a “new creation” (2 Corinthians 5:17), etc. We are told to “walk by the Spirit” to not fulfill the desires of the flesh (Romans 8:13). These are all examples referring to having a “heart of flesh.”

How do you recognize that heart of flesh? Simply put, it’s in what actually motivates you or in understanding what your “why” is as a Christian. If you seem prodded by duty or “I have to,” then it is very likely that you are not motivated by a heart of flesh.

A true heart of flesh should compel you to reach out to others without much thought. If you are motivated by your fleshly strength, you will likely be frustrated or tired before you get started. You may not want to do anything, but you pull yourself up by your bootstraps and do it because that’s what God wants and that’s what others expect.

Living a life from a heart of flesh is the way God wants us to live and He says He provides that heart. It is easier, much more natural (for the believer), and there is far less energy involved in it. For our part, we need to want it and build on it.

Think of two married people. If they actually are in love with one another, the things they do for one another occur much more naturally. The people that may have grown out of love for the other may seem as though they love each other in public, but behind closed doors, they don’t talk, they may even sleep in separate beds and in essence, they simply live under the same roof. Unless you know that couple well, their secret might remain hidden because they are able to cover it while in public.

Married people who truly love one another find it easy to find ways to exercise their love for the other person. They are far more naturally compelled to do what makes the other person happy. It’s not a burden at all, but simply something they want to do because they have a true heart of flesh for their spouse. It’s far easier for them to exercise love for the other.

A heart of flesh or a heart of stone? God says that He (and He alone), creates that heart of flesh within us. It is the Christian’s job to realize that God creates it and to want that heart of flesh to grow to a point of taking over the believer’s motivation in all they do. This rightly means that nothing keeps us from doing what the Lord wants us to do and we actually begin to long to do it. Our heart of flesh purposes within us that we must do those things, that we cannot keep them to ourselves. They are not burdensome, but motivating.

So…what is your WHY?

[1] https://studygrowknowblog.com/2026/02/20/a-heart-of-flesh/

Entry filed under: christianity, Politically Correct, Religious - Christian - Prophecy, salvation, sanctification. Tags: compassion, heart of flesh, heart of stone.