Resources/Articles
What Does God Really Want?
That is a good question. Are we ready to act upon the answer He gives? Not many are, because they fear what God says. This could have been the problem the rich young ruler had when he approached Jesus. He had no trouble asking Jesus the question, “What good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?” (Matthew 19:16). It was the answer Jesus gave which brought an anxious moment to the life of this young man. Jesus said, “If thou wouldest be perfect, go, sell that which thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shall have treasure in heaven: and come, follow Me.” Once receiving the answer, did the young man really want eternal life, or was he just curious? Do you really want to know what pleases God in matters of religion, or are you just looking for another opinion? God really wants…
You to be saved. God is not wishing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9). God loved the world so much He gave Jesus so we might have eternal life (John 3:16; 1 John 4:9). He wants “all men to be saved, and come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:4). His hear’s desire is for you to “look carefully how ye walk, not as unwise, but as wise...wherefore be ye not foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is” (Ephesians 5:17). The reason God wants you to understand His will is because of its power to save (Romans 1:16; James 1:22). It is unfortunate how many people devise another means of salvation other than what God specifically says in His word (Proverbs 14:12). God really wants you to be saved. If you really want to know what God wants in regard to salvation, then let your heart develop the attitude, “What shall I do, Lord?” (Acts 22:10).
Honesty. Every morning when you wake up and look in the mirror, you usually see a person not fit for the day. To make that assessment of yourself takes honesty. Honesty is the best policy, but is it the most often used course of action in the realm of religion? James 1:23-25 speaks on the subject of honesty. Hearing the word of God is like looking into a mirror. You see in that mirror (i.e., the Bible) an image of who you really are. You hardly ever look in a mirror without making changes in your appearance, but do you look into the scriptures with the same intentions? Do you change what you see? Are you honest? Many a person “beholdeth himself” in the Bible and “goeth away, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was.”
Ask yourself these important questions: Is my belief and practice really in the Bible in its entirety? How does the Bible describe the way one becomes a member of the church of which you now attend? Would you be willing to subject your faith to a Bible test in order to be sure? Your answer to these and other questions needs an honest and good heart (Luke 8:15).
Obedience. God sent Samuel with a message to Saul to utterly destroy all that was in Amalek (1 Samuel 15:3). King Saul did not complete the task God sent him to do. In his mind, Saul believed he had (1 Samuel 15:20,21). Samuel then asked Saul, “Hath Jehovah as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of Jehovah?” Samuel immediately answers, “Behold to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams” (v. 22). What God really wanted was total - not partial - obedience. Does He really anticipate anything different today?
What do you understand to be the purpose for the word of God? Is it meant to be an ornamental piece adding decor to your house or is it meant to be a basis of debate against philosophers of our day? It is neither. Scripture’s intent is to provide rich and wondrous promises to man by virtue of his obedience. It provides the material to build a life better than one you can build yourself. Seeking God for that life will require a humble heart to obey. This is what God really wants.
