What does God want from us? Money? Works? Perfection?
In this blog edition, I am reflecting on a song from Casting Crowns, “All You Ever Wanted,” click HERE to see the video.
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
In this song, the group sings about what God is after about us. As some may think, is He after our deeds, our money, or our good works? Let’s look into this.
The group reflects on all our works and how we try so hard to cover our sins and errors by doing good even though to God our deeds do not measure up. The lyrics try to say we become religious. God is pleased when we do good, but our best efforts are like dirty rags to Him.
In the book of Isaiah, the 64th chapter, verse 6 we read:
All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away.
Notice God said ALL of us, you, me, and everyone born except the Lord Jesus. So even if we do so much good, give so much, and help so much, we still need to measure up. So, what does God want from us? What can we give Him? What is so precious that He sent His Son to die for us? The song lyrics continue by saying that all God ever wanted was our heart.
Yes, our hearts! Not just the organ that pumps the life-sustaining blood throughout our physical bodies but the center of our wills and affections. The center of our thoughts, our character, our motivations.
Some wise person once said that reputation is what others see from us: our actions, diligence, success, or lack thereof.
Our character is what we do in private when no one is looking, when and where we can be ourselves.
A good example is when people seem so patriotic they stand in public when the national anthem is playing. People say that person is so patriotic. Yet, when the anthem plays at home, the same person sits comfortably in his chair and does not think about the song or its meaning or stand up to render honor.
Is our character in sync with our reputation?
Does what we do in public match what we do in private?
Take, for instance, the word SINCERE. This word originates from the Latin SAN CERE, which means WITHOUT WAX. Its roots date to when people made a living selling clay pots on the streets. Some pots stayed in the sun too long and started cracking and became useless. Some dishonest genius decided to fix them using wax to fill the cracks. They then painted over the dried wax and put the pots for sale again. The poor, unsuspecting buyers discovered later the pots started licking fluids when the wax melted when exposed to the heat. Honest sellers, not trying to deceive people, wrote a note on the pots, SAN CERE, to let the people know the pots had no wax.
Are we SINCERE when we say we believe in God?
Are we sincere when we say Jesus is our Lord and Savior?
Are we sincere in our convictions?
Will what we say and do stand up to the heat when the testing comes? Or will the heat cause the cracks to show and reflect who we really are.
When the testing comes, will our hearts follow the hearts of those we hang out with to go with the flow, or will our hearts go after God’s own heart and resist the temptations?
Let’s talk about King David of the Old Testament. The Holy Bible has a lot to say about this king. In Revelation, the 22nd chapter, verse 16, our Lord Jesus says this through a messenger to John, who wrote the book:
I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this testimony for the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, and the bright Morning Star.
Why was king David so beloved of God that he is named as father of our Lord Jesus?
By the way, the name David means “Beloved.”
In the first book of Samuel, the 13th chapter, verse 14, we read what the Lord said to Saul, the current king of Israel at that time:
But now your kingdom will not endure; the LORD has sought out a man after his own heart and appointed him ruler of his people, because you have not kept the LORD’s command.
What does “After His own heart” mean?
Maybe King David’s affections, attitudes, character, decisions, and thoughts were ALWAYS focused on what God wanted, commanded, and wanted David to be.
On his affections, did King David love any of God’s creation more than God?
Can we examine ourselves and say that?
On his attitude, did he believe God is always good and kept his thoughts on God even when things went wrong?
What about his character and the decisions he made?
Apart from a few mistakes, his character was in line with God, and his decisions were made with God in mind.
I encourage you, my friends, to read the book of Psalms, and learn more about King David.
But why do we fail to live up to this standard, to give God our heart?
Because we want to do our own thing and follow our own way. We want to be the king of our lives. Sit on the throne that belongs to God.
We do not like the hard stuff, we do not like to sweat. We like to be comfortable and seek pleasure all the time.
In Matthew the 7th chapter, verse 13, Jesus said to enter through the narrow gate:
Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it.
Yes, many of us follow the easy road; our hearts get captivated by the world system and the world’s pleasures. What little remains we bring to church on Sundays, some come only on Christmas and Resurrection weekend, as if they were doing God a service or honor. And we wonder, why does God do not answer our prayers?
In the book of Jeremiah, the 17th chapter, verse 9, we read what God thinks of our hearts:
The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?
We also read in Isaiah the 53rd chapter, verse 6:
We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way…
Yes, we want to sit on our throne and be the king of our life, yet we mess it all up. We mess up our relationships, bodies, careers, possessions, and everything we try to do apart from God. Like a famous singer once sang, “…and I did it my way…”
What can we do to remedy our situation?
How can we strive to be in sync with God’s will?
Try these three steps.
First:
Seek to know God’s heart! Search for Him with ALL of your heart. Get off the throne that rightfully belongs to God and let Him take over.
In Jeremiah the 29th chapter, verse 11, one of my favorite verses in the Bible, God says this to Israel when they were punished, in captivity, and without hope:
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”
He wants ALL of our hearts every day, not just on Sundays. He created you for Him, and he wants to remove the wax. He wants to stand you in a firm foundation where you will not be shaken.
You seek Him through His Word, the Holy Bible. Meditate on His Word, not just read it, study it. If you have problems understanding His word, pray that the Holy Spirit reveals the meaning to you, and He will make it known! Seek fellowship with believers who study the Word.
In the book of Ephesians, the 3rd chapter, verses 14-19 of the NASB Bible the Apostle Paul wrote:
For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God.
Rooted and grounded, meaning both structural and biological foundations. He wants to establish you on a solid foundation, Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.
Second:
PRAY always for God’s guidance. Seek Him through prayer, make your request, and then read the Bible. You will be surprised when you find the answer to your questions in the Bible.
Third:
TRUST in the Holy Spirit in your daily walk. I mean this: when I say trust, I mean complete trust.
Lets find out how king David started the book of Psalms:
How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, Nor stand in the path of sinners, Nor sit in the seat of scoffers! But his delight is in the law of the Lord, And in His law he meditates day and night. He will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, Which yields its fruit in its season And its leaf does not wither; And in whatever he does, he prospers.
Let us pray!
Abba, Father,
We know our hearts easily wander away from you. You love us with a love we can not match. We pray that you change our hearts and that your Holy Spirit comes to live in our hearts. We want our hearts to beat in sync with yours. We pray that we will think of your will for our life each hour of the day. Help us, Father, to do what you want us to do, for Your Glory. Help us to love you more and to love others so we can reach unbelievers and make disciples for you.
May Your will be done, always!
We pray in Jesus’ precious name!
Amen!
Are you BORN AGAIN? Click to know more!
To God, be the glory!
Everything was created By Him, For Him!
“THE LORD BLESS YOU AND KEEP YOU; THE LORD MAKE HIS FACE SHINE ON YOU AND BE GRACIOUS TO YOU; THE LORD TURN HIS FACE TOWARD YOU AND GIVE YOU PEACE.” NUMBERS 6:24-25
Disclaimer
I write my blogs as I get inspired by God. Consider this writing as a Bible study. Like the Bereans In Acts 17:11, search the Scriptures to determine whether what I write is so. Always consult with your church ministers about biblical matters. I am also not a professional writer, so some grammar or spelling errors may remain. I write as efficiently as possible.
Your brother, In-Christ, Ricardo
I wrote this eBook as a quick study on the Holy Bible, God’s plans, and the spiritual battles we face daily.
On Amazon Kindle, you can download it here.
On Apple Books here.
If you would like a free epub copy, please email me. I wrote this book to teach about God and His plan, not to make money.
