What does God want from me? What are His expectations of me? These are questions I have thought about often. More often than not, I usually answer these questions with something I have to do. What is it God wants for me to "do"? What's my "to do" list from God? That list that will make Him happy with me if I complete or at least attempt. Maybe if I share my faith with more people or be a kinder person or love my wife more or think less bad thoughts or say less bad words about others, or etc... The list could go on infinitely. Even though these are good things, is that really what God cares about? What I do or don't do? I don't think so. Don't misunderstand, even Jesus had a "to do" list. In John 17:4 Jesus prayed, "I have brought you (Father) glory on earth by completing the work you gave me (Son) to do." There is work to be done. But is that what Father wants of us? Is God helpless and just can't get things accomlished without us? Am I that arrogant? God gently reminded me again what He desires from me. I haven't been able to get away from these verses in John 17 lately. In verse 3 Jesus prays, "Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent." There it is. Father wants me to know Him. That's what we are called to do. That's what this journey is all about. Knowing Him! My job, your job is to relentlessly pursue knowing God. Nothing else matters.
Duane
4 comments:
Great thoughts. My name is Pete and I have been following your blog/website for the past several months. I live in the Northwest territories in Canada and my wife Cindi and I are here for the year. She is teaching up here and I am being a lazy bum and taking a sabbatical from ministry in Guelph, Ontario.
It has been a great time to spend, simply, with God and I'm relearning to that relationship.
I'm ceratinly a fan and prayer supporter of Mosaic and look forward to what the future holds for you guys.
It's a real great question,"What would God have me do?" and I think you've hit it, nailed it, gone right to the core of it....to know Him. I'm reluctant to say it but I think that we (the church) may have missed the message here and decided that we needed to know about him. We may have spent too much time studying God (like we do everything else) and depersonalized him in our minds. Not good.
I truly believe that we are to know him intimately, relationally and with fear and honesty. Knowing here, I think, means being known to Him - risking all and then submitting to that relationship. Leonard Sweet talks about it, McLaren talks about it. It's relational knowing and it's 2 way. Micah 6:8 talks about the doing. The last part of the verse says that we are..."To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God." I guess that humble walk is part of knowing and trusting and depending on Him.
I'm so impressed with what your plans are for Culpepper and want you to know you have my prayer support and have for awhile.
Cindi and I are eventually returning to Ontario and I wonder what God has in store for us. Blessings and hopefully one day we may come and visit you at one of your gatherings. Keep the faith brother...in His Name
Pete Olsen
Those are wonderful words! I am commenting because your post struck a chord with me personally. Six years ago I discovered (God showed me) that I didn't know Him. I knew all about Him, I had been "churched" for all my life, but I didn't know Him. My questions were, "Why does He do the things He does? Why is the world the way it is? What is He like?" He was an idea, very much not a part of my life.
So, after I was greatly bothered by this one day, I started reading. The first book I picked up (by the mercy of God) was The Pleasures of God (John Piper). I was blown away! Then came The Holiness of God by R.C. Sproul. I saw the world differently.
I was fundamentally changed...and not by self-help books. I was changed by a human-forgetting view of God, by knowing Him. This kind of change is more than a decision about how to act, it is something that happens to you.
I write this because so many churches never work to find out who He is. It is heart-breaking, and tragic, you can feel it. I don't think that that is an overstatement. I have come to say quite often that you cannot love what you do not know. Verse 21 in 1 John 5, after all, directly follows verse 20.
"20 And we know that the Son of God has come and given us understanding, so that we may know Him who is true...21 Little children keep yourselves from idols."
I take that to mean that if we don't know Him who is true, there isn't much that can keep us from some undetected form of idolatry.
I don't mean to get to heavy:) Your post was encouraging!
Take Care,
Chris
P.S. I noticed that you were associated with the Southern Baptist Convention of Virginia (or something like that)...is that with Al Mohler? I have a friend heading down to Kentucky in the next couple years, and I have heard some pretty cool things.
Pete,
Wow! I am truly amazed and humbled. Thank you for blessing me with your thoughts and especially your prayer support. I had no idea. It means so much to have people praying for us that we have never even met yet we have so much in common...we have Christ. Thanks for blessing me.
Duane
Chris,
Man, thanks for sharing your story. I believe so many share your story. Over the years I have met many whom I often wandered whether or not they truly knew God. They claimed to be a "Christian", but did they really know Him? Thanks for blessing me with your story. About the SBCV...I am new here to the convention, but I will find out and let you know if Al Mohler is associated with it.
Duane
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