What Does God Really Want Me To Do??
There are those who believe that God’s Word is Truth, but still have a hard time knowing what to do about it themselves. I suspect they may have an imprecise knowledge of what the Bible actually says. So again, the answer is to find out what it says and DO it.You could pick almost anything that the Bible directs us to do – would your life be better or worse if you did that thing? Well, has anyone ever been too generous? Loved his neighbor too much? Shared the Gospel with so many people that it displeased God? No. So becoming familiar with the Scriptures and shaping your life into conformity to its directives will always make your life better, not worse.
If your question is more specific, such as, does God want me to share about Him with a particular neighbor, or does God want me to volunteer to do that exact thing for the church, or does He want me to show kindness to some specific co-worker… the answer is “Yes.” The wisest man in the world said, “Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might” (Eccl. 9:10). James, that most practical of apostles, said (1:25) “if you look closely into the perfect law that sets people free, and keep on paying attention to it and do not simply listen and then forget it, but put it into practice—you will be blessed by God in what you do.” Jesus told us to “Love God above all, and our neighbor as ourselves” (Luke 10:27). That should keep most of us busy for quite a while.
But there is more. Yes, God is Almighty God, the Creator and Sustainer of the Universe. But when we are born again into His family, we become the children of a good, good Father. As well as pleasing Him by learning about and doing the many things we are commanded to do throughout Scriptures, we have also entered into a parent/child relationship with Him. He may whisper something special into our ear, something He is asking us to do. As a loving Father, He only ever asks us to do something that will be for our good… and undoubtedly, for the good of others also. He never whispers something in our ear that goes contrary to the Bible, for that would make Him a liar. No, what he asks us to do will always delight the obedient heart and cause real growth in us or in the Kingdom.
Elsewhere we wrote about how to quell doubt, which is to believe in something trustworthy, something solid and sure. Now we are talking about dispelling uncertainty by listening for the voice of our Master. What God really wants us to do is to put our trust in Him. “Sanctify (perfect) us in Your Truth: Your Word is Truth” (John 17:17).
Truth. God’s Word, the Bible, is Truth. Truth lights up a once-dark path. It clears the way to fuller understanding of our own nature and of God’s. It is solid and dependable, and we can trust it not to lead us wrong. Also, Truth is not just laws and commandments… it is a Person. Jesus also said, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life (John 14:6). He IS the truth. Getting to know Him better and better will always lead to more clarity about what God wants us to do.
Have you ever had a dog, one who is a close and personal house pet? The longer that pet spends with you, the less time you need to spend training it, and the more time the two of you can simply enjoy each other’s company. The dog, knowing you well, simply wants to please you. C.S. Lewis had one of his unfallen characters in Perelandra say, during a conversation about whether obedience is difficult, “Hard? The beasts would not think it hard if I told them to walk on their heads. It would become their delight to walk on their heads. I am His beast, and all His biddings are joys.”
What does God really want you to do? Doing it may seem hard at first, but it will turn to joy. Get to know Him, and then enjoy Him forever. For His yoke is easy, and His burden is light – I’ve found it so.
Written by Deb Marcusse