From one religious camp we're told that what God wants is obedience, or sacrifice, or adherence to the right doctrines, or morality. Those are the answers offered by conservative churches. The more therapeutic churches suggest that no, God is after our contentment, or happiness, or self-actualization, or something else along those lines. He is concerned about all these things, of course, but they are not his primary concern. What he is after is us-our laughter, our tears, our dreams, our fears, our heart of hearts. Remember his lament in Isaiah, that though his people were performing all their duties, "their hearts are far from me" (29:13 italics added). How few of us truly believe this. We've never been wanted for our heart, our truest self, not really, not for long. The thought that God wants our heart seems too good to be true.
- John Eldredge 'Sacred Romance'
2 comments:
I read something along the same lines recently. It said that God wants our heart.. not our credit.
Basically, we can be doing all the "right" things like going to church and listening to christian music or serving but if our heart is not with him then we do it all in vain and it brings him no glory.
These people honor me with their lips,
but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain; their teachings are merely human rules. Matthew 15:8-9
“Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me.” Psalm 51:10
It's a lot like the argument "am I saved by good deeds?" It's not the deeds that save us, but they are a sign of our love for God. Same thing with the heart. Yes, God wants our heart. But if that is true, the implications are that the rest of my life should follow. So in essence, God wants our everything.
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