What does God want from us?
Of all the questions we can ask, “What does God want from me” is perhaps the most important. Jesus tells us that God wants two things from us; He wants us to believe, and He wants us to love.
When the people asked Jesus “What must we do to do the works God requires?” He answered, “The work of God is this: to believe in the one He has sent” (John 6:28-29). He tells us that whoever believes in Him will be given the power to become the children of God.
When asked which is the greatest commandment, Jesus responded “To love the Lord. . . and your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:36-39). Later, Jesus gave a new commandment: love one another as he has loved us (John 13:34). Jesus did not choose secret handshakes, miraculous powers, or visible halos to mark His followers, he chose love (John 13:35).
The things in our heart come out of our mouth (Matthew 12:34), fill our thoughts, and direct our actions (Matthew 15:19). If there is a problem with our thoughts, words, or actions, then there is a problem with our love.
Loving and believing have consequences, but if we do not believe, we cannot love, and if we do not love then nothing we say or do will be right (1 Corinthinans 13).
