What does God really want? A man complained, "I go to church every Sunday. I don't steal, kill, or commit adultery like others do. I go to work and earn a decent living for my family. How much more does God need?" People everywhere have their own idea of what God is looking for in order to "pass" the test to get into heaven. The important thing is what does Jesus say.
Jesus said some serious considerations in Matthew 7 about not judging others, about treating others the way you want to be treated, about many entering the wide gate of destruction and few going through the narrow gate that leads to life, about knowing good and bad people by their fruit, and about having a foundation that stands through the storms of life. It sounds overwhelming. Who can do this unless God helps him do it? Yes, that is the point, God is with us and wants to teach us how to find His will and depend upon God's help to do it.
Let's start with the foundation of the basic truth from which everything else flows. The starting point is coming to know Him by believing in your heart that Jesus was raised from the dead (thus completely paying for all your sin) and in gratitude declaring that Jesus is Lord (ruler, owner, master) of your life. (Romans 10:9)
However, Jesus declares in Matthew 7:21, "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven." Calling on Jesus as Lord must be more than lip service, but a commitment to actually do what He says. Jesus clearly reveals the Father's will in the Word of God. Secondly, He sent the Holy Spirit to lead us and guide us into all truth. The purpose of helping us know the truth is so that we do it. In short, obey His Word. Jesus said those who love Him obey His commands in John 14:15.
We see this same principle in Micah 6:8, which is a strong verse that answers the question, "What is good and what does God require of you?" He lists three things: to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God. All three have to do with the attitude of the heart and obedience. To do justly is to do what we know is right; to love mercy is to be so grateful for God's mercy toward us that we also show mercy toward others; and to walk humbly is to acknowledge we need Him and to ask Him to lead us and guide us. He gives grace to the humble.
Clearly God wants us to have a personal relationship with Him through coming to know Jesus and His love. Secondly, He calls us to surrender our will and thoughts to His way and truth. We are called to seek Him and His righteousness, then simply obey the instructions and promptings of the Spirit as He reveals what we are to do.
Those who enter the kingdom of heaven are those who do the will of the Father. Not only is this promise talking about being in heaven eternally with Him after we die, but also experiencing the kingdom of heaven, "righteousness, peace, and joy of the Holy Spirit," (Romans 14:17), now.
This is the time of year when many people make new year's resolutions, even though these rarely meet the test of time. However, with God's help, namely the Holy Spirit, we can choose to surrender fresh to acknowledge Jesus' lordship and do the next thing He directs. We can resolve to obey His desires and thus enter into the Kingdom of heaven with righteousness, peace, and the joy of the Holy Spirit in our heart.
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