How We Respond

Over the weekend, I heard a song called, “Just Want You” by Sarah Reeves.  In the chorus, the artist sings, “I don’t want it if You’re not in it, I Just want You.  No, I don’t want it if You’re not in it, I just want You, God.”  It is a beautiful song that allowed me to reflect on the fact that we were created by God because of His love for us and our lives are all about how we respond to that love.  Everything else is secondary.  What do we really want?  Are our desires and wants of God or of the world?

Sometimes, as I reflect at the end of a day, I find that there were more moments than not that I wanted things that were not of God.  I realize that, in many moments, I wanted the approval of others, worldly success, to put my needs in front of others, or many other things that pull me away from God.  How often do we find ourselves wanting all that the world tells us we should want?

It is probably easy for a lot of us to tell ourselves that we want God- that we want to love Him and serve Him alone.  But then, we do or say something that shows we want something else more than God.  Or maybe, it is the things we choose not to say or do, for fear of what other people will think or how they will respond.  Maybe we worry that others might be offended so we decide to withhold our beliefs.

We all want to be seen and loved.  Naturally, we want others to like us and to accept us.  This desire is written in the human heart.  But so often, we look to other people for this desire to be met.  We can spend so much time seeking approval from others.  However, we must stop trying to fit in, go with the flow, and be like everyone else.  God sees us and loves us.  And His love is greater and deeper than the love and approval of every single person in the world combined!
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God doesn’t need us.  But He wants us.  And He loves us.  How are we responding?  Once we realize this basic truth, we cannot just sit back and do nothing.  Our days should be focused on how we can better know, love and serve Him.  May we each develop a deep desire for God that is the foundation in all we do and the way we live.