What does Jesus want? A lot of what we think about hovers around this question. For believers, this question is central, sometimes said in delight, sometimes spoken in exasperation. Sometimes we don't know what He wants when we want to.
Our approach to this subject will guide our lives. We may get closer, become indifferent, fall away, and sometimes even fight against what He wants. I know I have done all these things at different times, and at times, more than one simultaneously! I continue to appreciate God's patience and love, which make He and I compatible.
I want to put out a few things here, with a heart of goodwill, and no desire to isolate anyone. I want to help, and be helped. The following are a few of the things I have realized about what Jesus wants. For sure, the list is incomplete, and it needs your marks on it. I encourage you to consider this list, and think toward and think thru an updated version that you can put your name on. It will differ from mine, but will have some common elements, I hope.
The God of all grace reaches out to us. But why? Does He want to feel good about Himself, or is His graciousness pointed at us, who so desperately need it? God's ways are beyond our ability to full comprehend, or fully explain, but He does gives us the ability to appreciate His ways, and thereby understand them in a meaningful, though not comprehensive, way. I am thankful for the little part I have come to understand, and the part that I have, though small, makes me want to know HIm more. It is good and it feels good too!
What follows is a little bullet list that I offer for your consideration, and your personalization. It is important that we know the Lord, and what He wants, for ourselves, and not just settle for what other people say about it. Surely, it is incomplete, general, and doesn't come with a deep explanation on each point. It is not intended to do that. It is offered to motivate an investment of thought on the part of the one who considers it. Because of this, I want to ask you to consider each statement on it's own, even though they all may fit together. If you will, take some time to think about each statement. No need to hurry through such important things. We have time to spend.
It would be really awesome to hear your deliberations on these items, so please let me know your thoughts at scott@fxmissions.com. Impartation is a two-way street, according to Romans 1. The feedback loop is open and it means a lot to hear back.
(Calmy consider these, before you read on. Take them into your mind individually, and roll them around a bit, one by one!)
- He wants a relationship with you.
- He wants to get to know you, and you to get to know Him.
- He gives us work as a context for collaboration.
- His will is our primary way that He has given to us to learn how to work together with Him, and He reveals it to us with this purpose in mind.
- He wants to be with you, and you to be with Him.
- Follow Me, and I will make you (whatever I have desired for you to be). This is what Jesus tells us in the gospels. From this, we can understand, He wants us to follow Him.
- He wants to interact with us, in a living, active, real-time way, not just from books and history, and other peoples tales, as helpful and important as these all may be.
The list is intentionally abbreviated, so as to give time for thought. If anything, I hope this list imparts courage to you, to lean into, with renewed hope, all that the Lord wants. You can be sure that what He wants is for your good, and will turn out to be for your good. You will be able to recognize this the more time you devote to it and the deeper your investigation goes.
We live in a world full of traps and schemes, all cunningly arranged to misguide us. But by God's grace we can be free from these things, and by this freedom give ourselves to things that don't beguile us…. From such freedom we will arise as significant and mature expressions of His intention, God's own children, complete with His likeness. This is what Jesus wants.
I’ve been hearing the word “wholeness” a lot lately from the Lord … I think, and I know this sounds like a pun, that a big part of holiness is wholeness, and, to a degree, vice versa. I’ve been studying the the Jewish concept of Shalom and how it is was a very active part of Jesus’ teachings that we Gentiles have perhaps not fully grasped. “Shalom” is best understood as a “wholeness of shared, communal life with others and God” rather than just a “personal, inward peace” like it’s sometimes communicated in evangelical commentaries. Anyway, I throw that into the mix!
I like your abbreviated list. The message of Jesus is simple and effective. In the simplicity lies the biggest challenge(s) we may ever encounter. We tend to clutter up our faith with “option”s that generally gravitate around our mind, will, emotions and our openness to receive Jesus in every area of our lives. Jesus, my Lover, wants ALL of me.
He wants all from us!!!