Lion Heart ENCOURAGE - What God asks of us

Encouragement:

Hey Man of God! I’d like to address a very simple but important topic today: What does God ask of us?

Why this is important is because if can direct our entire life. It is the rudder that directs our efforts. What God wants of you and me becomes the vision and mission for your life. And thus, it’s important to know what He wants.

There was a time in my life when this question wasn’t that important to me. Yes, I loved God, I served God, but, I wanted my own will for my life. What He wanted wasn’t that central to me. Many of you might be in that same place today. You go to church, you pray, and you might even have a bible study program that you follow. And that is ok, in fact that’s good. But even more important is that you’re moving forward.

As newborn Christians we start this journey with a lot of baggage, a lot of wrong practices and evil mindsets. As we walk this journey, this newfound way, this baggage slowly gets removed, and God slowly forms us into the Image of His Son.

Romans 8:29: "For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters." (NIV)

2 Corinthians 3:18: "And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit." (NIV)

Christianity is a growing relationship. Not a static religion. If our walk with God is static, something is wrong. If you’re not growing, you’re sinking.

As we grow, and as our ‘view’ of God and our experiential knowledge of God grows, one can’t but become more hungry for Him. When the work of Christ comes more and more into focus, one can’t but ask ‘Why?’. Why did He do that? And then our response to His sacrifice grows, and our hunger to respond grows. With that growing hunger to serve, know and love God, often the question comes to the fore is ‘how can I love God, or what does God ask of me?’

This is an important junction in your walk! Loving God in return is an absolutely wonderful turn in one’s relationship. This too is a journey, you don’t just wake up with it ‘installed’ one morning. It is sown, it germinates, grows and ultimately bears fruit.

These are good questions. These are questions that show your relationship with God is maturing. You’re starting to think ‘outside’ of yourself.

As I study the word of God, these are the four main ‘threads’ that stand out to me. It is evident throughout scripture that these are the main things God wants from us:

• Love

• Faithfulness

• Holiness

• Trust

It is clear that they are interrelated. One flows to and from the other.

Many good authors have written volumes about these 4 subjects, but I will attempt to keep it short and personal. I’d like to emphasis that this is a journey for me too. I have not ‘arrived’. So, let’s grow and mature together! Encouraging one other more and more as we see the day approaching.

To keep this to bite sizes, today I will cover Love:

The first and the highest requirement of God.

Mark 12:29-30: "The most important one," answered Jesus, "is this: 'Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.'" (NIV)

But have you ever wondered how we should love God? It’s an honest question, and one worth pursuing.

Love, is a choice. Love can be cultivated. Love can start as a ‘duty’, but as the personal image of Jesus grows in us, so our love will be transformed into a deep and heartfelt love for our Saviour and Lord.

This love starts somewhere. There are attitudes, mindsets and practices that can grow our love for our good good Father. Below I’d like to list a few of these attitudes or practices that can move us forward on this journey to loving God.

Let’s start with Surrender. I’d like to emphasise the need to surrender our lives to God. Remember, God very rarely forces His will on us. Force and manipulation is not His way with his beloved. To His beloved He is kind and gentle. It is up to us to open ourselves to Him, to ask that His will be done in our lives. To come to a realisation that He is God and I am not. This is surrender. What does surrender mean? It simple means letting go of our own desires and ambitions, and submitting to His will. It means ‘Your will be done no matter what.’

The next key cultivator of love is Intimacy. (This applies to marriage as well! 😊) Intimacy is a journey of discovery, discovering a deep and intimate revelation of God, one that is characterised by a sense of awe, wonder, and reverence. Worship is the conduit here. Worship is not limited to music and song. Worship can take over every aspect of our lives. When we allow ourselves to see Him as He is, and then return worship to the only Worthy One, then intimacy follows easily. The key with true worship is ‘truth’. Do you truly know the One you worship? True worship follows a ‘knowing’ of the One we worship. Here again you can see that this can be cultivated.

In John 4:23-24, Jesus says:

"Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth."

In this passage, Jesus is teaching a Samaritan woman about the nature of true worship. He says that true worshipers will worship God in the Spirit and in truth.

Worship in Spirit refers to the idea that true worship is not just about external rituals or practices, but about a deep, inner connection with God. It involves surrendering our hearts and minds to God, and allowing the Holy Spirit to guide and empower our worship.

Worship in Truth refers to the idea that true worship is not just about feelings or emotions, but about a deep knowing of who God is and what He has done for us. It involves worshiping God in accordance with His Word and His character, and being honest and authentic in our worship.

Then Obedience. Love must find it’s ‘living-out’ in obedience. Obeying His commands. Jesus repeatedly equates love to obedience. This is also found throughout scripture:

Deuteronomy 11:1: "Love the Lord your God and keep his requirements, his decrees, his laws and his commands always."

John 14:15: "If you love me, keep my commandments."

John 14:23: "Jesus replied, 'Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them.'"

2 John 1:6: "And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands."

1 John 5:3: "This is love for God: to keep his commands. And his commands are not burdensome." 

This too can start as a duty, which is fine, but ultimate should develop to where it is not out of duty or obligation, but out of a deep love and desire to please Him. This too comes with time. What obedience looks like, is something we’ll cover in another post. For now, let’s seek to ‘do what our hand finds to do’.

Lastly, I’d like to emphasise the importance of practicing Spiritual Disciplines. These are an important catalyst to general spiritual growth, but particularly to the growth of love. These include solitude, silence, prayer, and fasting. Spiritual disciplines don’t come naturally, and thus they are known as ‘disciplines. You need to apply discipline to practice them. They have an amazing effect in cultivating a deeper love for God.

That’s it for now, we’ll delve into the others next time.

Thanks:

Many Thanks to those who support this ministry, I really appreciate it. Any support, especially heartfelt pray, is always welcome.

As always, please fwd this message to those who you think can benefit!

Your Brother in Christ,

Stanley