What God Wants
(and what He has given)
Disclaimer! My story isn’t “better” than anyone else’s but it’s one that I hope (and pray) demonstrates the importance of “seeking God” rather than waiting for a personal tap on the shoulder from Him (He’s done more than that already — read on).
Many people go through life believing that God has simply left us here on earth to enjoy life, do the best we can, and hopefully when we take our last breathe our good deeds will outweigh our bad ones and we’ll get our free passes into heaven; And that we can do all this without any further involvement with Him other than a token appearance in a house of worship now and then or having a copy or two of the Bible somewhere in our home — maybe not read but there nonetheless. That WAS me.
Multitudes sincerely believe that “when God wants to hear from me He’ll let me know and until that time I’ll mind my business and He can mind His.” It may not be said in so many words but it’s how many live. Too many expect a “lightning bolt” experience thinking that’s what God will do if He really wants their attention.
But those who have said or felt this are forgetting that God has already spoken to us and given us a wonderful “instruction manual” for living our lives. As our loving creator He alone knows what’s best for us and what the only way is of finding the lasting peace and happiness we all desire.
Many also mistakenly believe that EVERYONE will ultimately make it to heaven because they hope God will simply overlook the fact that friends and loved ones (and you & me) have lived our lives giving God very little of what He wants. What does He want?? He simply desires that we accept the amazing Gift He has given us — His Son, whose death for OUR sins was to make us right with God — and that we would have an ongoing daily relationship with Him that our lives center around.
This explanation might help . . . the distance between the head and the heart is approximately 18 inches. Unfortunately, a ‘head’ only (intellectual) knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ, fully knowing and giving mental assent to His death and resurrection, without also a ‘heart’ acceptance that His death and resurrection was so that we could have a right relationship with Him (our sins forgiven) avails nothing to any person.
God definitely desires that we enjoy life on this beautiful planet . . . but His design (as clearly revealed in the Bible) was that we would enjoy life in the context of obedience to His written communication — what some call God’s love letter to His creation – the Bible (some also think incorrectly that it’s God’s angry list of “do’s & don’ts).
Some believe that we can go around Jesus — aren’t there other “roads” to God & heaven? From God’s perspective (His Word), no, there is no other way AT ALL to get to heaven. See these two verses: John 14:6, Acts 4:12
And of course there is the belief by many that there is no God at all so we are free to live life as we choose — doing good or bad (whatever that is). Atheism has no place for God or heaven or sin. But what if they are wrong??
The evidence for God’s existence is overwhelming despite what atheists believe. I love the quote from Abraham Lincoln on the subject: “I can see how it might be possible for a man to look down upon the earth and be an atheist, but I cannot conceive how he could look up into the heavens and say there is no God.”
The evidence for the truthfulness and reliability of the Bible is also overwhelming. I’m happy to share more about that anytime I’m asked.
Since God has chosen to speak to His creation through His Word, we should listen (reading daily) to Him very carefully.
My personal story of life before coming to faith in Jesus Christ is very similar to what I’ve written above . . . and probably very much like many who may be reading this.
When “confronted” with questions about having a personal relationship with Jesus I initially “ran” from the conversation. I wasn’t interested in what someone else thought. I figured that if God really wanted my attention that He would make that clear in some other way than by having someone just come up to talk to me. I actually prayed many times “God, if you’re real, show me.” I’m sure He did many times but not in the miraculous way I wanted.
My closest and lifelong friend became a Christian in 1971 and began sharing with me that a personal relationship with Jesus Christ would give my life meaning. There was no question about the changes I saw in his life. He was a brand new person – what the Bible says happens when a person sees their need for a personal relationship with the Creator and Savior. He saw clearly the direction I was going and knew he would lose a friend for life if something didn’t change in me.
I felt I needed to at least listen to him. I bombarded him with questions about God’s existence, the truthfulness & reliability of the Bible, the perceived contradictions I had “heard” existed in the Bible, etc. He faithfully found answers to my questions. He knew very little himself but would go to more knowledgeable Christians. Eventually I found myself just trying to find more & more questions to ask just as a way to delay a personal decision that I thought would be the end of a fun-filled life.
But I finally came to the strong conclusion that what the Bible said was true; that my sin was separating me from a relationship with God and that I desperately needed to have my sins forgiven. And that’s what Jesus Christ came to accomplish. He was perfect but chose to take the sins of the world on Himself so that every person who turned to Him could be forgiven and be assured of an eternal home in heaven.
I became a Christian in the fall of 1972 at age 18 – a “few” years ago now. Everything about me changed — not who I was — but my attitude, my world view, my purpose in life — and my eternal destiny! I now wanted to obey & serve God wherever He chose to put me and in whatever He had me do.
Now, years later, I have had an extremely fulfilling life that I’ve tried to center around a loving Savior.
Do you need help in making a decision to accept the forgiveness God has offered through His Son? Feel free to e-mail me or call.
But here is an abbreviated explanation that is basically what I was presented when I let Jesus into my life as my Savior and Lord.
1. We must make an honest admission of our sin. The Bible states that because
every person has sinned against God, we all stand guilty before Him.
Romans 3:19, 23; Psalm 14
2. By faith, we must ask for God’s forgiveness that comes from a personal
relationship with His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. God has promised to forgive
the sins of all who ask Jesus to be their personal Savior, and who believe that His
death paid the penalty for their sin. John 1:12; Romans 5:8, 6:23
3. We can then enjoy this present life with God in charge of our lives, our daily lives
centered around Him, and we can know we will spend eternity in heaven with Him.
John 14:1-3
There is no need to “hope” for a home in heaven when you can “know” that’s your eternal destiny because you have asked Jesus to by your Savior. Now center your life around Him and be the representative He asks us all to be. 2 Corinthians 5:17-21