Regular nibbles from the Bible. . .come for a bite, leave with an appetite



May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight. (Psalm 19:14, MSG)

Sunday, March 10, 2013

WHAT DOES GOD WANT FROM ME? (Deuteronomy 10)

I didn't plan it this way. God did.

Yesterday I looked at what God promised to us, as His part of keeping the covenant.  Today, I ran across the words What do you think God expects from you? The other half of the equation. I stopped right there.

No new, astounding revelations here. Just a simple summary of what God wants, set in a parenthesis of how we are to live:

LIVE in His presence in holy reverence.

  • Follow the road He sets out for you.
  • Love Him.
  • Serve God with everything in you.
  • Obey the commandments.
LIVE a good life.

So, to start with - as I live. As I go about my daily business, keep God on my mind. The first thing God wants is my attention. He wants that relationship with me. 

There is a Christian classic called Practicing the Presence of God by a monk named Brother Lawrence. He worked in the kitchen, but his heart's desire was to live in God's presence.

Oh, yes. Serve God with everything in you. Shades of the greatest commandment. If we love God, that will come naturally.

As I live, I should follow the road He sets out for me. My own, personalized, yellow brick road, that will lead me to the answer to all of my problems and the greatest future I could imagine. 

Obey the commandments - we've heard that one before.

Live a good life. I love the double play on "good."  A good life may mean one that is virtuous, right, or commendable. It may also mean one that is pleasant or agreeable. Most likely it means both. If we live in a way that is virtuous, we will experience pleasant and agreeable circumstances. (Notice: not necessarily easy.)

What does God want from me?  To live with Him. 

Lord, walk with me this day.  


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