Title: What God Really Wants
Contents
“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may discern what is the will of God, which is good and acceptable and perfect.”
My father went to the house of his daughter, whom he married with much effort. The daughter carefully prepared and served food for her father, who had come for a long time. My father-in-law has returned home. I asked if the wife was well received. My husband had no answer. My wife was curious and asked what had happened. My husband said: “What’s the use of just putting up a lot? I don't have my favorite tofu and eggs. They have no teeth, so they should be able to eat.” The daughter did not know what her father really wanted. So is our life. Could it be that we are misunderstanding what God really wants and pleases us?
“Not everyone who says to me, Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only those who do the will of my Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 7:21).
Helen of Troy (the 9th century BC Greek king, wife of Menelaus and loved by the Trojan prince Paris) must have been a really great woman. The two kingdoms even went to war over her. Thousands had to die to get one woman.
Like Helen, we, who are loved by God, caused a crisis in the universe. We left the bosom of true love, and God waged the greatest war in history to get us back.
God created us to share intimacy, and He has promised to come for us even when we turn our backs on Him. He also sent personal messengers. Sometimes they beat us, sometimes they caress us to win back our hearts. When all attempts failed, God had a bold plan. He hid his identity through the night and infiltrated the enemy's camp. Simply put, you were born as a newborn baby. The whole world was oppressed by the power of evil, and we were locked in a dungeon of darkness, but God risked our lives to save us.
Why? What did you see in us that made us act like jealous lovers? Why did you take such a risk to attack not only the kingdom of darkness, but also the idols of our own making? It was not an attack to destroy us. It was an attack to take back our hearts. What did God want us to do when he put this fierce will into action? What God really wants is ‘us’. It was our heart.
God does not require many materials, rituals, or sacrifices from us. He doesn't want you to build a big and splendid temple. God delights in and wants us to love Him and our neighbor with all our heart and with all our mind.
A man, walking down the street, met a four-way street, hesitated about which direction to go, and decided to go east. Still, he said, “I must go in the direction this staff is pointing,” and threw it and pointed it to the west. When I threw it back, it headed north. I kept throwing my cane and finally pointed east. Then he said, “Look at this. Doesn't this staff point to the east?" He liked and went. If we believe in Jesus, we shouldn't believe in this way. If you say you live according to God's will and follow your own stubbornness and greed, you are mocking God. A popular term in Western society, where Christianity is based, is the term “if God wills” (Deo Volente). As Christians, when we do or plan anything, we must always think that “If it's God's will” comes first. There is nothing more important than this. It is a big mistake to ask God to make you successful and to bless you while doing things that are contrary to God's will.
Jesus came into this world and lived only according to the will of God in the midst of suffering.
"He said, "Father, if it is your will, remove this cup from me. But not my will, but your will be done" (Luke 22:42).
I pray that we too know what God really wants and live only according to His will.
* Prayer: Lord, who dwells in praise, we have been thinking about what God really wants at this time. Now, for the rest of our lives, lead us to glorify God, to love you, and to live a life that pleases you. Keep us living a life of loving, praising, and giving thanks to you, no matter where we are in life. I want to give up and throw away anything when it hinders me from living according to God's will by making me realize that I still depend on money (wealth), knowledge of the world, and people. So, let me follow you completely and live a life that pleases you. Help our Korean church to revive and develop day by day, and give us Hana Church members the faith to sing praises even in the midst of difficulties. I pray in the name of Jesus. Amen