What God Wants

I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart. Ezekiel 36:26

The prophet Ezekiel captured what God wants in each of us. He wants our love. He wants us to operate out of our love for Him. He wants us to be driven, not by external rules, but by an internal relationship.

Man seems to be all about rules. Why? This is because we want to know how to control people. We want to know how we can measure up. Rules help us “define” where we stand. However, rules are limited. We can easily get caught up in the rules themselves and lose sight of the reason the rule was established in the first place.

For example: One day Jesus healed a woman on the Sabbath and the “rule keepers” the Pharisees chastised Jesus for healing. They considered it work and there is no work on Saturday. How insane is this! The Sabbath was made so that man could rest and enjoy God and life. This woman was bent over at the waist in a crippled state for 18 years. The healing gave her rest, life, and God! Then Jesus set things straight when He said, “The Sabbath was created for man, not man for the Sabbath.” I love it! Man was not made to serve a rulebook, but the Rule Maker. The Ruler of the universe! It’s not about rules and regulations and religious observances. It’s about love. Rules are a means to an end not the end itself.

These very religious leaders had missed the mark. They were more interested in laws than love. They were more interested in rules than people or religion than relationship. God wants our hearts not just our obedience.

Can you imagine if your children only did what they were supposed to because it was the rule! That if they didn’t they would not be accepted. That if they didn’t they would be afraid that you as their parent would not accept and love them. That would not only destroy your relationship with your children, but destroy your children themselves. What you really want is for your children to do what they are supposed to because they love you, appreciate you, and want to respond to all that you do for them. As parents this would give you the most joy. Seeing love in their eyes; not bondage, burden, or fear. God is the same way with us. He desires that His Word be not just written on tablets of stone, but on the fabric of our hearts. That we don’t have to be told what to do, but we instinctively know what to do because we are asking ourselves, “What would love do? What would please the One who has been so good to me?” Now you are living at the enlightened level that God wants!

Love transcends the law. The law can’t make you love people or be filled with joy, or go the extra mile. The law and the rules are limited, but love never fails. May your love for God be the driving force in your life. That is what God wants!

Today’s prayer: “Lord I love You and today I simply want to put a smile on Your face. May Your love lead me.”

Keep looking up,
Pastor Gary