What does God want from me?

WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY?

God wants us to fear Him, walk in His ways, love Him, serve Him with all our heart and soul, and keep His commandments. This is summarized by loving God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, and loving our neighbor as ourselves (Deuteronomy 10:12–13; Matthew 22:37–40). God desires a humble and repentant heart, and He calls us to walk closely with Him, growing in our relationship with Him through love and obedience (Micah 6:8; James 4:8). Ultimately, God wants us to surrender our lives to Him, allowing His Spirit to work within us, guiding us to live in accordance with His will (Philippians 2:12–13).

FROM THE OLD TESTAMENT

• After spending the whole book of Ecclesiastes pointing out the futility of a life without God, King Solomon concluded this book of wisdom with Ecclesiastes 12:13: "The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man."
• The Old Testament emphasizes fearing God as the foundation of wisdom and understanding, urging reverence, obedience, and turning away from evil (Deuteronomy 10:12; Proverbs 1:7; Ecclesiastes 12:13). Fearing God keeps people from sin and aligns their lives with God's will.
• The Hebrew word for fear in these verses, yare, does mean "to be afraid" or "to be filled with dread," but it can also mean "to reverence, to admire, to be filled with awe or wonder, and to tremble with joy." People should approach God with respect for Him as the avenger of wrongdoing, in wonder of His character and actions, and ready to tremble with joy as He reveals more of Himself to us.
• This type of "fear" is related to humility. While God prescribed sacrifices and burnt offerings in the Mosaic law, His desire was that those sacrifices come from a humble and repentant heart (Psalm 51:16–17). God wants people to turn their hearts toward Him, recognizing His greatness and holiness and our lack thereof (Isaiah 66:2; Micah 6:6–8).
• Deuteronomy 10:12–13 says: "And now, Israel, what does the LORD your God require of you, but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to keep the commandments and statutes of the LORD, which I am commanding you today for your good?" The command to fear God is repeated in this verse, but it is followed by the idea of walking with God.
• This idea of walking in close relationship with God is repeated throughout Scripture. Enoch (Genesis 5:22), Noah (Genesis 6:9), Abraham and Isaac (Genesis 48:15), David (2 Chronicles 6:16), Jehoshaphat (2 Chronicles 17:4), Hezekiah (Isaiah 38:3), and Josiah (2 Chronicles 34:2) all walked with God.

FROM THE NEW TESTAMENT

• Just as walking with God was something God wanted from His people in the Old Testament, Christians are also told to walk with God: "Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him" (Colossians 2:6).
• Paul wrote in Romans "we too might walk in newness of life" and "walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit" (Romans 6:4; 8:4).
• Colossians 1:10 ties the idea of walking with God to "increasing in the knowledge of God." Entering into a relationship with God where we journey alongside Him as we get to know Him better is the goal God sets before us with this metaphor.
• When we draw near to God in humility, simply desiring to walk with Him, He will draw near to us (James 4:8; Luke 11:9–13).
• God calls us both to fear Him and humble ourselves in the New Testament as well. Philippians 2:12 encourages believers to "work out your own salvation with fear and trembling," while 1 Peter 1:17 calls us to live in reverent fear.
• James 4:10 and 1 Peter 5:6 both emphasize the need to humble ourselves before God so He may exalt us.
• Obeying God is also repeated in the New Testament. When Jesus was asked about the most important commandments, He answered, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets" (Matthew 22:37–40). With this response Jesus quoted Deuteronomy 6:5, the call to love God first and foremost, as the most important commandment. The best way to "keep His commandments" is simply to love God because He has loved us (1 John 4:7–10). Our obedience flows from our love. Jesus affirmed this when He told His disciples, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments” (John 14:15; cf. John 15:1–11; 1 John 5:3).

IMPLICATIONS FOR TODAY

As we approach God humbly and walk in relationship with Him, our love for Him will grow. As our love grows, we'll desire to continue walking with Him and obeying His commands. Jesus presented this idea of obedience inspired by love in John 14:15 when He said, "If you love me, you will keep my commandments." Simply loving God will lead us to obey His commands (John 15:1–17). Paul explains in Philippians 2:13 that "it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure." So there is no need to stir up within ourselves the self-discipline to obey His every command. We simply need to walk with God, loving Him above all else, and He will work within us helping us to both desire and actually do what is right. His Holy Spirit empowers us to love God fully and serve Him from the right motives. God desires a humble heart that surrenders to walking in a loving relationship with Him as He works within us resulting in a life of obedience to His will.

UNDERSTAND

• God wants us to develop a close, personal relationship with Him.
• God wants us to submit to His will with a humble heart.
• God wants us to love Him and others, leading to obedience.

REFLECT

• How are you currently walking with God, and what steps can you take to draw closer to Him?
• How is God calling you to humble yourself and surrender more of your life to His will?
• How does your relationship with God influence the way you live and the decisions you make daily?

ENGAGE

• What does knowing what God wants from us reveal about His character and relationship with humanity?
• How can we share what God wants from us with others in a way that is encouraging and hope-filled instead of instilling fear or guilt?
• How can we practically encourage others in their walk with God?