“Let the
words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O
Lord, my rock and redeemer.” (Psalm 19:14)
Do you
ever wonder what God wants?
I think
it’s much easier to think in terms of what I want from God. And to be
sure, the Bible suggests we should ask. Matthew 7:7, “Ask…”
In James 4:2-3, the ask is qualified like this, “…You do not have because
you do not ask. You ask and do not receive because you ask wrongly to
spend it on your passions.” But that is really an entirely different
discussion from what does God want.
So, try
this on for an exercise, write on a piece of paper, perhaps even the tablet of
your mind, these two questions: “God, what do you want from me? What do
you want for me?”
Perhaps
favorite verses will come to mind (e.g., Micah 6:8), write those verses
down. Perhaps you will ask a friend the question, “Joe what do you think
God wants from me, for me?” I invite you to write down those
responses. Perhaps a query will be made of family, or even Google,
perhaps inspiration will be found in a favorite author. Perhaps it will
be a grand list, or perhaps it will be simple phrases or actions, things to
think about, things to do.
A number
of years ago, I came up with a sentence, perhaps a bit wordy, that expressed an
answer to the question. I want to honor God through my relationship with
him, my family and his church, demonstrating a willingness to learn and an
ability to teach. It is not the only way I answer the questions, but it
is one way. Confronted with something new or different, I find myself
wondering what God wants and it most often seems that when I wait for God, God
does something with my effort, that I would not have been able to do on my own,
even if I am using the exact same abilities.
So, I
invite you on a journey of discovery with me, let's find out what God
wants! From us. For us.
Sunday
services are at 9 and 10:30am, live streamed and live. We are working to
offer live Wednesday night programming for our Kids and Students Ministries
starting January 20th. The Annual Meeting is scheduled for February 7th at 12pm, in the Worship
Center, if you are a member and unable to attend, you can request an absentee
ballot.
Peace to
you, stand firm, I miss you.
John