Mic 6:8 He hath shewed thee, O man, what [is] good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?

Our father in heaven is not the angry old man some portray Him to be, for if was the case he would have destroyed almost all of us for the lives we lead, but instead He lets us hang ourselves which is a fair and just way. As mentioned earlier, God has made it clear to all what is good and what is bad, and if we choose the bad way, then we suffer the consequences. It took me 35 years of swimming against the tide to wake up, and realise God’s way to be the best way, the only way to victory over this life in the flesh, and as an added bonus eternal salvation is the reward.

All God asks of us to receive this bonus is to believe in Him as the one who created us. I could very easily stop right here, because the wise in God already know where I am going, but for the sake of the unsaved and babes in Christ I will expand in more detail. Lets now look at just a few major things God wants from us.

God wants us to love Him!

If we surely do love God, then many desires from the heart become manifest in such a way it is almost impossible to ignore. LUK 10:27 And he (Jesus) answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself. Why would Jesus say ‘with all thy strength’ I wonder? If you loved God with all your heart mind and soul, surely that would be enough to satisfy God the Father. What’s the big deal about strength? Well let me let you into a secret good friend…it is by using all your strength that confirms your love of God. If you have no strength, then you have little if any faith. God reveals the truth to all those who love Him with all their minds hearts and souls, but to follow that truth…you need all your STRENGTH, so Jesus certainly knew what He was talking about here. To those who do overcome through strength, God will reveal secrets that the others can only dream of. Secrets that will draw them ever so close to God to be called favourites.

God wants our reverence in Him!

If we love God we do automatically have reverence for Him. It’s something one cannot avoid. To show disdain for God is extremely dangerous and makes it very difficult to ever come to him in the future. It shows ones arrogance and self-centeredness which is a quality God hates, thus putting one in the last resort basket. Meaning it would take a humongous effort for that person to change their ways before God would consider them for calling. God will only call those that show some signs of potential. For example: An alcoholic who loves nature, or a thief who is generous, or a murderer who is sorry etc. These people although bad, still show signs of goodness that God can use to His glory, so He can call them and reveal truth to them, which provides a window to change. Some fall away, but most become chosen in the end because of the potential God saw in them.

To have reverence is to admire and respect God. Treating him as the awesome Creator He really is, and not using His name in vain or as a joke as many Christians still do. When one comes to know God in fullness by showing total respect, it is easy to worship Him for what He is because admiration is foremost in the heart. Faith without reverence is a mockery and worthless to God. As you know (I hope), we are made in God’s image, so when somebody don’t have respect for us, it is hard for us to give them our attention. And so it is with our creator. Reverence is the first major step that leads to us to a solid relationship with our maker.

God wants us to love one another.

MAT 22:39 {And the second [is] like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.}

Unless our love for our neighbour is genuine, it can’t last long. Its like play acting…you can’t do it all the time because its not really you, just acting. In other words, if you are not genuine with your love for your neighbour, don’t bother, because you can’t fool God, and eventually your true colour will show. Loving your neighbour not only pleases God, but also has a two-fold reward…one, it creates a better person in you, and two, it allows Christ to shine for others to see, paving the way for the salvation of others. To show love to others is to be honest with them, show mercy to them in the same way God has been merciful to you, and be generous and helpful to them. By doing this genuinely, without the desire for reward, strengthens your soul and accumulates treasure in heaven where it will be available forever and not rot away like treasures of this world. In loving others by the above methods also gives peace to the soul, lifting weight from the shoulder, and raising self esteem, but most of all it puts you in good stead for the ministry God has called you to. Remember the old adage …it is better to give than to receive? Well if done with a pure heart and without payback, it is indeed true. Try it, if you haven’t already, and experience the great joy it brings to the heart and soul. Kindness is such a lacking commodity in this world today, which is sad really because it is not hard to do in the scheme of things, to bring joy peace and happiness to many, with such little effort on our part

God wants us to be righteous.

The foundation of creation is righteousness. It’s the meaning of life that God built all things on. Take away righteousness and you take away Jesus, you take away life, you take away law, you take away love, and you take away meaning. What sort of place this would be without these things. In fact it would be exactly what it was before God created man…a void, because man would destroy the world and all that is in it in no time at all. In order to grasp the fullness of righteousness we need to look at Jesus, who being the same as God, was sinless or faultless if you like, and because of this His sacrifice becomes even more meaningful, because although He was innocent He still paid the price for the guilty (You and me). Jesus was righteousness personified, and we are taught by Paul the apostle to try to be like Him, or imitate him, so how great is the desire of God the Father that we should be righteous. Below is some scripture that best describes what God the Father would desire us to be like, which is just like Jesus.

MAT 5:48 {Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father, which is in heaven, is perfect.}

This simply means to seek to overcome the sin in your life, and although it’s highly unlikely you will ever be perfect in the flesh, it should not stop the want of trying with all your might.

COL 3:13 Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also [do] ye.

We all are guilty of sin against our maker God, and also against our brothers and sisters, and because God has forgiven those who live in Christ, the same must forgive their brethren, otherwise God will not forgive them. Not to forgive others means there is unforgiven sin still binding.

COL 2:6 As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, [so] walk ye in him:

When you ask Jesus into your life, He sends the comforter (Holy Spirit) as He promised. Now this comforter spirit will convict you of sin (let you know when you sin), make you feel ashamed of it, and guide you in paths of righteousness. If you are not feeling this attention from the Holy Spirit of God, then you are either perfect already, which I doubt, or you don’t have this gift of the Spirit. If it’s the latter, then it means God has seen through your false shallow exterior and refused this gift. He will only give of Himself to the sincere and pure in heart. Now if you do indeed have this gift that is worth more than silver and gold, then you will desire to be like Jesus because of His nature, and we all know Jesus was perfect don’t we. It’s called…walking in Jesus.

PHI 3:12 Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus.

What Paul is saying here is that he has not yet succeeded and is not yet become perfect in Christ, but Jesus Christ has won the authority to call whoever He chooses to call because of the cross, and in this case it is Paul, but Paul has not yet won the prize of salvation, but strives through Christ to win that prize that Jesus has won Paul to Himself.

PHI 1:20 According to my earnest expectation and [my] hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but [that] with all boldness, as always, [so] now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether [it be] by life, or by death.

How can Christ be magnified in one who is of the world (sins)? The only way Jesus can be magnified is in righteousness.

ROM 15:5 Now the God of patience and consolation grant you to be likeminded one toward another according to Christ Jesus:

This is self-explanatory; God the father want’s us to be like Jesus…the righteous one.

2CO 7:1 Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.

No doubt about this verse. Paul is asking us to repent and sin no more…to be righteous and holy. Can one be holy without being righteous? Sadly some believe we can, but they have bowed to the desire of Satan, not God.

MAT 5:6 {Blessed [are] they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness:

for they shall be filled.}

For those who desire righteousness…God will satisfy them fully. Remember though, desire means just that; wanting to do it because you like it, and not just to please God to get to heaven. So in other words you have to love righteousness for what it is, and get pleasure from it, as indeed God does when He is witness to it. The more righteous…the closer to God you will become, but remember also, it is Christ who is in you who guides you in paths of righteousness, and not any great strength of your own, so don’t become proud and seek self glory.

MAT 5:8 {Blessed [are] the pure in heart: for they shall see God.}

To be pure in heart in simple terms means sincerity. Don’t be fooled though and expect God not to see ulterior motives, for He knows every thought processed by your brain. This is one of the main causes of failure, because if God sees that your sincerity is only skin deep and not from the heart, then He will only let you bury yourself deeper and deeper in your superficial belief. Become stiff-necked for want of a better word. Only in sincere love for Gods way can anyone overcome the world and its evil ways, to be considered a true child of God.

MAT 5:10 {Blessed [are] they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake:

for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.}

While in the truth of Gods will, you have to expect the never-ending attacks from the evil one Satan, and the closer you get to it…the more frequent the attacks. They come in many forms, but the most common is oppression from the ungodly. You will be persecuted in one way or another. You can be certain of this, so be on guard and accept it graciously because it is conformation of the truth. Satan hates to loose one of his own, and be assured if you are not suffering in Christ, then Satan has a chain around you.

God wants us to be obedient.

ROM 5:19 For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the

obedience of one shall many be made righteous.

This verse from Paul is very clear to some, but not to the multitude, including most Christians unfortunately. Most discern that in the obedience (sacrifice) of Christ, we are automatically made perfectly righteous, but it is not complete until we overcome the sin in our lives. Like stinging salt heals on an open sore, so to does suffering the flesh heal the spirit. “so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous” This simply means that by having a pure heart for Christ we are now washed clean, and through Him we can remain clean. Being clean means overcoming sin.

To be obedient to Christ means to be disobedient to the world, especially in these last days of blatant disregard for morality. The moral ways of God are made to look wrong (politically incorrect), and the immoral ways are made to look right and accepted as normal. Normal yes, in mans eyes, but not in Gods. To recognize right from wrong according to our creator is not hard. Simply put; if it feels good to the flesh…it is not right in nine out of ten cases, and if it hurts the flesh…it is right in nine out of ten cases. The exceptions are few, but an example would be music as it is pleasing to the flesh, and good gospel music can’t be bad for you, but I will argue if music is flesh or spirit in the case of gospel. On occasions I have felt rejected and played some deep gospel music, and instantly my spirit has lifted, but this method I do not use often, as it can give one a false sense of security if a heart is not pure. Again I say; like stinging salt heals on an open sore, so to does suffering the flesh heal the spirit. Draw me nearer O Lord, that I may dwell in your peace. Amen.

Matthew 15:8 This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with

[their] lips; but their heart is far from me.

So true, sad but true. At times I find myself in this very situation, preaching obedience to people on one hand, and not practising it on the other. I suspect I am not the only one though, especially with those who get wealthy on the name of Jesus. God has prepared a place for them, as He also has prepared a separate place for the obedient. It is easy to know how to be obedient, but very hard to put that simple understanding into practise, but take heart those who are willing, for there is the greatest reward of all time waiting for you. Many have been called, but few will be chosen. How sweet the thought, of being one of those few.

LUK 6:40 {The disciple is not above his master: but every one that is perfect shall be as his master.}

Here we have Jesus telling us it is possible to be perfect, as there are also other scripture, so the only way it is possible to be perfect like our master Jesus, is to be obedient. THERE IS NO OTHER WAY. But, this is not saying if you are not perfect you will go to hell, but simply showing the way to receive truth and understanding (blessings), to help you please Him. To be obedient to Christ is a sacrifice of the flesh for us no doubt, so to focus on Jesus in lieu of worldly things, means much to our God. It shows ones sincerity, pureness of heart, and the bottom line our faith according to God is sincerity. After all, He gave the ultimate sacrifice for us, so isn’t it fair we should give a small portion of ourselves back, to bring glory to Him? MAT 5:48 {Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.} Glory to the Most High. Amen.

1PE 2:21 For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps:

The example Jesus left us is the nature of Him. Loving each other, laying down our life for others by sacrificing our time and money in order to help others, and preaching the truth, which is not a whole lot of trash that has been orchestrated to fulfil the desires of the gullible in order to take their hard earned cash. Was Jesus wealthy of the worldly treasures? No. he rode a donkey. Did Christ not practice what He preached? Of course He did, so in order to be like Him, wouldn’t you think a good start would be to be obedient to Him? Or should I rephrase and say “obedient IN Him, because unless He is in you, obedience has no power in you. In other words, you would not even get to the front gate in obedience, unless Jesus is in you, and He is only in the sincere hearts that are willing to believe in Him with all their mind, heart, soul, and strength. Sorry to mess up your day.

God wants us to live in harmony

Being in harmony with each other sounds easy, but in reality it takes much understanding by the concerned parties. It is impossible for pure hearts to be in harmony with the impure. PSA 28:3 Draw me not away with the wicked, and with the workers of iniquity, which speak peace to their neighbours, but mischief [is] in their hearts. To think so, shows a total lack of intelligence, and if you continue to try, then you will come undone sooner or later. What God wants of His children in Christ, is to love one another, just like Jesus taught us, and if we can do this sincerely, all the other attributes of harmony like patience, tolerance, loyalty, suffering, sacrifice, and generosity, will fall into place naturally. When you think about it, this place God has prepared for us called heaven, could only suffice in harmony. How can we expect to be part of this place if we cannot perform here now? After all, heaven is forever, and God can’t allow any dissenters or black sheep so to speak, to cause disharmony. God has used up much of his time, who knows how long, to apply this master plan of salvation for those who believe, so although it may hurt God to turn back these black sheep, He has no choice, in order to fulfil His promise of eternal life, and this eternal life can only stand in harmony.

So we are to be in harmony with our brethren, or at least on one accord in Christ, and show mercy, love and compassion to the ones you disagree with, instead of arguing with them. Remember this, if you were always to be right, that would mean you proclaim to be God almighty, so accept the fact that in anything you say or do, it is possible you could be wrong. If we were all created the same (robots), then we would all agree, but fortunately we are not, and that is why God works in each of us differently according to our persona, but in the end the result will be the same, if only we allow Him to be the Potter and us the clay. Pride has no part in harmony, even if you are correct, so it takes a generous heart to allow a brethren peace, in the case of their erroneous opinion. If you don’t, then how can you expect the same in return? United we stand, divided we fall, and in Jesus anything is possible. Yes, even harmony. Amen!

God wants us to be humble.

DEU 8:2 And thou shalt remember all the way which the LORD thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness, to humble thee, [and] to prove thee, to know what [was] in thine heart, whether thou wouldest keep

his commandments, or no.

If God loves you, He will indeed chastise you, because He wants you to stay in the truth in order to receive His reward for you. The secret is listening to Him, and learning from your mistakes, but without a humble heart God will not discipline you but instead let you have your way, and therefore you will continue in your ways and miss the boat. Nothing happens without reason! To put happenings down to chance instead of God’s “law of the universe” spoken of earlier, can lead you to be confused and therefore lack wisdom.

MAT 18:4 {Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.}

Jesus is saying here; if we humble ourselves, we will receive the honour of rulers in heaven

JAM 4:6 But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.

Very strong words from James here.

Below are a few more verses for proof of the requirement for humbleness.

2CH 7:14 If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

1PE 5:6 Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:

JBO 22:29 When [men] are cast down, then thou shalt say, [There is] lifting up; and he shall save the humble person.

PRO 16:19 Better [it is to be] of an humble spirit with the lowly, than to divide the spoil with the proud.

Humbleness is a nature to be acquired. It is first realising that one is indeed not the center of the universe, but just another brick in the wall so to speak. It is also realising that God is Almighty, and it is to Him one is accountable. If once realising this, and pride shows any form in you, then you need to seriously take another unbiased look into your soul and pray God to show you what you are. Again I say that God can only real to the pure of heart, and it is these who will be convicted of their proud nature. If a proud person is sincere in their search for truth from God, then God will humble him, so that is why Jesus said to…know them by their fruits. When you see a proud person; be assured Jesus is not in him yet. How do we tell if one is humble you may ask. Well, do they speak too much? Do they talk over others? Can they have trouble listening? Do they always think they are right? Do they always claim they do right? Do they force themselves on you? Do they lift themselves up? Wow, you still want more? Ok then…do they always praise their children? Are they stubborn? Do they enjoy the spot light? Do they mock others? Do they look down on others? Do they refuse to help others? Well I hope you got it by now. If you answer yes to any, many, or all of the above, then I request you bury yourself in the words of Jesus and ask Him with a wholesome heart to humble you. I had to. (And still working on it as I type hee hee)

Once we have conquered our pride (and only in Jesus we have the power to), then we are in good stead to witness to others. If do we try to witness with pride, we will only succeed in scaring a potential soul for Christ to rebel. As we can see by the above scriptures ( and by the Holy Spirit), that God does surely favour the humble in spirit. We owe it to God and ourselves, to seek it and ware it as a robe of truth, given freely of our Father in Heaven, to be an everlasting symbol of hope and a beacon for others to see, that they may be encouraged also to have a burning for the same truth. The very truth of our creator God. The truth that leads to eternal life. The truth that sets us free. Faith in the unseen, leads to truth. The proud are not interested in truth, because it can interfere with their glory, a glory that is seen only by lessor people, and that is why you will mostly see proud people associating with less intelligent people so these people can’t see their shortcomings. If they mixed with intelligent people, their weakness will be exposed.

Those with a humble heart give God a good opportunity to mould them into a good servant. God sees them as potential leaders; leaders that can spread the Gospel to the greatest efficiency. Leaders than can face all adversaries.

Leaders that can pave the way for more leaders to carry on the work for God and maintain truth. It is crucial, if one has a desire for truth and understanding that they seek it from God with a humble heart, and submit fully to it in order to receive more of the same. God is only to willing to give folks, all we got to do is receive in the right way with humility.

God wants us to pray

When we need to communicate with people, we talk (converse) with them don’t we, and so it is with God. The only difference being the fact that God is almighty, the creator of heaven and earth, and we are mere mortals, so to just talk to Him in the course of our day is not what I call respect for such a superior being such as God. Unless of course it is emergency. It’s alright to think of Him of course, but to pray only when it is convenient is not right. What do you do if you want to talk to your doctor? You make an appointment. If you want to talk to your teacher you need to put up your hand don’t you? And if you want to talk to an important person like president of the USA, more than likely it will never happen. So how much higher is God above these people? Of course God is the most high of all, but guess what, He doesn’t require an appointment or a hand up, but He does require sincerity and reverence to those who want to be heard.

To show sincerity is easy, because God can tell if we are not, but reverence is another subject known by many but understood by few, and is found through the comforter (holy spirit). It’s humbly coming before Him with knees bowed and shoes off, in a quiet and private place, knowing He is almighty and you are not. It’s desiring from the bottom of your heart, the will of God for you in all things, and not your wants as they are usually not what God has in mind. It’s total submission to the greatness of Him who made you, it’s obedience, and last of all it’s loving Him for the kind of God He is. God loves you and wants the best for you, but cannot give these things unless you have reverence for Him. Praying is the tether that keeps us close to God, and through this prayer we can gain all sorts of Godly things to prepare us for our final destination.

Well, there is much more that God requires from us according to the word, and with a sincere and pure heart for the will of God it can be found, but take heart brethren, we are not all expected to be prophets and pastors. Some of us are just here to serve in a small capacity like washing the dishes at a fellowship function, or helping out on the church stall, or supplying flowers for the church, or just writing a book hee hee, but what ever it is, do it with a pure heart in order to receive the blessings promised from God. Blessings that will guide and feed you in the truth that will make you pleasing to our creator. To summarise, love God with all your heart mind and soul, and with all your strength, and then everything else will fall into place. Amen.

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