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Understanding the Why
Proverbs 2:8-9
"He keepeth the paths of judgment, and preserveth the way of his saints. Then shalt thou understand righteousness, and judgment, and equity; yea, every good path."
Often people will ask, "Why am I supposed to do...?" Teenagers are very prone to ask this question. Asking why you do something is really not that bad. I recall several years ago when I preached a sermon that the next day the pastor informed me he had someone upset with my sermon. I asked him what his response to this person was. He told me that he simply told them he believed what I preached because his pastor told him it was right. I responded back to this dear brother by telling him that was not a good enough answer. That person needed to know why the Scriptures said to do what I preached, not what some other preacher said.
The verses above show us two ways to help people to understand the why. First, you help people to understand the why by making right and wrong clear. In Proverbs 2:6 it says, "For the LORD giveth wisdom:..." When God gives wisdom He does not leave gray areas. One of the biggest reasons why people don't know why we are supposed to do things is because it is not made clear in the preaching or teaching. Whenever a preacher preaches, he needs to preach in such a way that people are clear on what is right and wrong. People should never walk away from a sermon wondering what the preacher was really trying to get across. The same can be said about teachers. If you teach, give absolutes and not gray matter. Though absolutes may make people upset, at least they will know what is right and wrong.
Second, you help people to understand the why by perpetuating the old-time ways. You will notice in the verse above it says, "...and preserveth the way of his saints." Preserving the way of the saints is simply preserving the old-time ways. Christian, one of the greatest needs today is for people to stop looking for a new way to do things and start perpetuating the old-time ways. When we try to start new ways, it creates confusion in Christians regarding which way is right. We don't need new ways. What we need to do is simply continue to do what the saints before us did.
Simply put, doing right and preserving right will lead people to understanding why we do what we do. This is so because when they see the end of each path, then they will understand the result of that path. When you see how something works and its results, then you will understand why it is important to do things a certain way.
Be careful about falling trap to this present day philosophy of modernism. Make everything you do either right or wrong. As you do the right, do it the way the saints of old did it. By doing this you will help all those who follow you to understand the whys of what we do.