God's Desire for You.

The Trophy’s of Grace came and visited our church this last Sunday from Teen Challenge. One of the favorite scriptures of the men was "You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul and all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: "Love your neighbor as yourself." (Matthew 22:37)

We must have a desire for God and through this desire grows a Godly love for others.
I asked God this question recently, "How can people desire you if they have really no idea or concept of who you are?"

And this is the illustration that came to mind. The love a husband gives to his wife shows how much he desires her and from that desire comes understanding to the wife that her husband REALLY loves her. That understanding gives their relationship strength and if her heart truly understands the love her husband has for her she will be holding her husband’s hand through richer or poorer and sickness and health. There will be a strong trust there.

God’s desire is the same way. God wants us to know how much He desires us so we can understand how much He truly loves us no matter what life brings because He is holding our hand as we go through it.

We submit to God just as a wife submits to her husband. I think the word "submit" has been twisted over the years. But submit means that we give ourselves and it is only when we give our lives to God (no matter in bad or good times) that we can truly see God’s love act in our behalf in our lives.

God’s desire is for us to know Him but we can only get to know Him if we submit our lives to Him.

Philippians 4:11
Paul, who submitted his life our Lord Jesus Christ, writes, "Not that I was ever in need, for I have learned how to get along happily whether I have much or little. I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. For I can do everything with the help of Christ who gives me the strength I need."

It is for richer or poorer isn’t it? But notice how Paul writes the word "happily".
He was happy no matter if he was rich or poor. He was happy if he had no food in stomach or plenty of food in his stomach.

Paul knew none of the things of this world would satisfy him but his relationship with God would. He also knew "things" don’t just fade or lose importance in time but tend to become a burden. He also probably knew that things could also take the place of God in a person’s life.

Take the rich man who wanted follow Christ. Christ told him to sell everything he had but he couldn’t do it? Why? What was more important to the man? Christ wanted to show the man that his things were more important then God? God’s desire to have a relationship with Paul was the only "thing" that gave him peace and assurance for his everyday life.

Do you have that kind of peace and assurance? God wants to give it to you! He desires a relationship with you!

You say, "I can’t! You have done some things that God wouldn’t approve of?" Well so has the rest of the human race? You say "I got to get myself right with God first?" Well get yourself right with God by asking God forgiveness of your sins and asking God’s son, Jesus Christ into your life for he is the only one who can make that change within you. Jesus became a sacrifice for our sins. He, as Lord and Savior, sits at God’s right hand interceding for us everyday. He lives to give us an ever changing life and eternal life. Jesus Christ is our Priestly Lord and King. Ask him for the Holy Spirit to be poured out upon you and may God bless you in the full knowledge and love of God. In Jesus name Amen!