"What Does God Actually Want From Me?"

What does God actually want from me?

In this episode of Bible, Basically, we look past the checklists, pressure, and performance mindset that so many of us attach to faith. Through Scripture, we explore how God has always been after something deeper than religious activity: our hearts.

From Micah to Jesus to Paul, this conversation asks whether we’ve made following God more complicated than it needs to be, and how obedience begins to change when it flows from love instead of fear.

This isn’t about doing more.

It’s about walking closer.

Bible, Basically — figuring out faith, together. 

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 2:10

What's going on, everybody? How's it going? Welcome back to Bible basically, where we are figuring out faith together. Last week, wow, heavy topic. Heavy, heavy topic. We talked about deconstruction of faith. And it got me thinking. I don't know that I've ever met a true Christian who genuinely wanted to disappoint God. You know, I've I've met people that get angry with him. I've met people who were confused or walked away from church or who had more questions than answers. But I don't think I've ever sat across from someone who looked me in the eye and said, you know what? My goal in life is to disappoint God. That's heavy, man. It's a heavy, it's a heavy thought. I don't know. I don't know that I've ever met anybody like that. Most of us actually want the opposite. We want to please him and know him and follow him. But the problem is a lot of us aren't exactly sure on what that looks like. I mean, if I walked into 10 different churches on Sunday and asked one simple question, what does God actually want from you? I'm pretty sure I'd get 10 different answers. Somebody would say, read your Bible every day. Someone would say pray more or go to church every Sunday. Somebody would say, share your faith, or stop sinning, or serve more, volunteer, give us money. Here's the thing: none of that are really bad answers. I mean, they're all good things respectively. I hope every one of us reads our Bible and prays and serves people, but lately I've I've been wondering, are those actually the answer to that question? Or are they what naturally happens when we've already answered a bigger question? Because honestly, I think I spend a lot of years asking God, what do you want me to do? When maybe I really should have been asking God, who are you inviting me to become?

SPEAKER_00 5:05

Those are two really different questions.

SPEAKER_01 5:10

And what's interesting is that this is not a new struggle. These questions that we have, and we've covered this over and over and over in this podcast. There is nothing new in this world. These questions that we have, who do you want me to be? Why can't you see me? Why do you let me struggle? Why do bad things happen to good people? None of these questions are new. People have been asking God these questions for thousands of years. In fact, there's this really incredible moment in the book of Micah where the people of Israel are basically saying, God, just tell us what you want. How do we make this right?

SPEAKER_00 6:01

What will finally make you happy?

SPEAKER_01 6:08

That moment's in Micah 6, 6 through 8, and it says, With what shall I come before the Lord and bow myself before God on high? Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old? Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousands of rivers of oil? Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body, for the sin of my soul? He has told you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you but to do justice and to love kindness and to walk humbly with your God?

SPEAKER_00 6:53

I love this passage. Because it feels so normal, so human.

SPEAKER_01 7:14

You hear what they're doing in that passage? What these people are doing, they're negotiating. They're like, okay, God, what's it gonna take? Is it gonna be more sacrifices, more offerings? How much is enough? And isn't that what we still do? Isn't that what we do every day? Hey, hey God, if I read three chapters today, am I doing good? Am I okay? If I miss church this week, are you gonna be disappointed?

SPEAKER_00 7:40

Or sometimes we ask ourselves, if I don't pray long enough.

SPEAKER_01 7:50

Some scripture matters You know, gathering with other believers, gathering with other believers, I'm sorry, matters. Going to church matters, obedience matters. But that's not the starting point. And I think we've actually accidentally made him the starting point. You see, Michael reminds us that God isn't standing in heaven waiting to see if we can pile up enough religious activity to impress him. He's after something deeper. He wants justice, he wants mercy, and he wants humility.

SPEAKER_00 8:34

I'll read it again. Justice, mercy, and humility. Did you catch that last word? Walk humbly with your God.

SPEAKER_01 8:55

I'm gonna read that whole last section again. He has told you, O man, what is good? And what does the Lord require of you but to do justice and to love kindness and to walk humbly with your God?

SPEAKER_00 9:17

He's not asking you to perform or earn God's approval.

SPEAKER_01 9:24

He just wants you to walk with him. That's relationship language, that's not employee language or contract language. He wants a real relationship. And I wonder how many of us have spent years trying to impress a father who's been inviting us to walk beside him the whole time.

SPEAKER_00 9:56

As humans, we are trained to crave approval. But he's telling us no, no, you're good. Come walk with me. I approve. Come walk with me. How beautiful is that? How beautiful is that sentiment. God just wants to walk with us. This almighty being wants to have a relationship with us.

SPEAKER_01 10:49

And when you think about that, I think that's where everything starts to change. Because once you understand it, Jesus' words sound completely different. And that's where I want to go next because someone eventually asked Jesus the same question. Not exactly in those words, but close enough. They said, out of everything, Jesus, what matters most? So, Micah, let's go back to him for a second and we'll get back to that. Micah says something that I think a lot of us need to hear again. And God isn't looking for more religious activity, he's asking for our hearts, right? And that leads me to something I've wondered for a long time. If God had one chance to answer the question, what do you want most from people, what would he say? And like I said, someone actually asked Jesus, not how do I get to heaven or how often should I pray or how do I become a better person? They said, Lord, what is the greatest commandment? In other words, if if you had to boil all of this down, what truly matters most? And I love Jesus' answer because he couldn't, he could he couldn't have said it better. He could have started anywhere else in the world. He could have talked about the Ten Commandments or sacrifice or obedience, but instead he starts with relationship. Matthew 22, 37 through 40. After he was asked the question, What's the greatest commandment? Jesus said to him, You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the greatest and first commandment. The second is like it. You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the law and the prophets. And I don't know about you, but that changes the way I hear the rest of the Bible. Because if Jesus says everything hangs on those two commandments, then maybe every commandment isn't just another rule. Think about it. Maybe every commandment is showing us what love, what true love, actually looks like. Think about it. If I love God, I'm going to want to worship him. If I love God, I'm going to care what he says. If I love my neighbor, I'm not going to lie to them or steal from them or use them.

SPEAKER_00 14:23

Suddenly, obedience isn't a checklist. It's love.

SPEAKER_01 14:34

And I think we've accidentally flipped that around. We acted like if we obey enough, eventually we'll love God. Right? Like it's an arranged marriage. Love will grow. But Jesus says it the other way around. Love comes first. Then obedience follows. So before somebody hears this and says, Oh, so obedience doesn't matter? No. Not even a little bit. That statement is not true. It matters tremendously. But let's be honest, parents understand this better than anybody. If your child obeys you because they're terrified, you'll stop loving them.

SPEAKER_00 15:29

That's heartbreaking.

SPEAKER_01 15:37

As a parent, if my child, if my kids obeyed the rules because they were afraid of losing our love as their parents, it shatters me on the inside. But if your child obeys because they trust you, because they know you love them regardless, that's a relationship. And I I can't help but wonder if that's what Jesus was inviting us into. Not fearful compliance, right? But loving trust. It was John 14, 15. It's it's such a simple verse. And it was, if you love me, you will keep my commandments. And and I want you to listen to what Jesus doesn't say. He doesn't say, Keep my commandments, and then I'll love you. We talked about that before. That's legalism. Okay. He says, if you love me. So love comes first. Obedience second. The relationship comes first. The fruit of that relationship comes afterwards. And that's a totally different way of looking at the Christian life.

SPEAKER_00 17:34

Honestly, that's freeing, man.

SPEAKER_01 17:40

Because now obedience isn't about earning something, it's about responding to someone. And you know what that reminds me of? Think about someone who's been married for 50 years. They know the little things that make their spouse smile. Not because they have a checklist taped to the refrigerator, but because they've spent years walking together. They know each other. That's what relationships do. It changes what you want. I talked about this in a Bible study that I was in a few weeks ago. You know, when we start a relationship with God, everybody thinks I have to conform to God's rules. And when you start a relationship with a person, think about it this way: when you're single, you are your own person. You have your own likes, your own desires, your own interests. But when you start into a committed relationship with someone that you love, all of a sudden those interests start to merge. You don't become a different person. You're still you at the core, but you become one with this other person. Your interests start to merge and combine and align. That's what relationships do. They they change what you want. And when you enter in a relationship with God, it stops becoming about following his rules. And it starts being interested and desiring the same things that he wants. The things that he wants for us, which in truth are the best things for us. And I wonder if we've spent so much time asking, what's the minimum that I have to do that we have forgotten to ask? How can I know him better?

SPEAKER_00 20:05

See, those are two completely different questions.

SPEAKER_01 20:12

One's trying to avoid getting in trouble, right? What's the minimum I have to do? And the other one's trying to look grow closer. How can I know him better? And I think that's exactly where Jesus wanted his people's hearts.

SPEAKER_00 20:27

Not asking how close can I get to sin without crossing the line.

SPEAKER_01 20:47

Because when you ask that question, a lot of other questions answer themselves. It brings me to something Jesus said later that honestly I think ties all of this together. And he gives us a picture that's so simple, you almost miss how profound it is. Um, he doesn't compare us to soldiers or students or employees, he compares us to branches. And once you understand that picture, I think it changes everything about spiritual growth. Jesus said we're branches. Branches. And I don't know why that never really clicked for me uh until a little while back. Maybe because I've I've always been a do more kind of person. If something isn't working, try harder, right? If I'm not going, read more. You know, if I'm not growing, pray harder, pray longer, work harder, put in more effort. That's how I was raised. It's kind of how most of us are wired, right? We think every problem can be resolved by doing more. And then Jesus says this in John 15, four through five, abide in me and I in you, as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine. Neither can you unless you abide in me. I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. And let me tell you what really jumps out at me. At no point in that verse does Jesus say, hey, produce more fruit. He says, abide. What does that word mean? That word means stay, remain, don't leave, don't disconnect, stay close. And I wonder how many of us have spent years trying to become better Christians when all he was asking us to do was stay close to him.

SPEAKER_00 23:30

Branches don't wake up every morning wondering how to grow grapes.

SPEAKER_01 23:39

They don't strain, they don't sweat, they don't compare themselves to the branch next to them.

SPEAKER_00 23:46

They stay, they abide, they stay connected, and life flows through them. Their fruit is the evidence that they're still connected to the source. And that changes everything.

SPEAKER_01 24:15

Just maybe that patience isn't something you manufacture. Maybe it's something that God grows. Maybe joy doesn't have to be something you fake. But maybe it's something the spirit produces. And maybe peace isn't something that you achieve. But maybe it's something that you receive. I I don't know about you, but that's a lot less exhausting than the version of Christianity I grew up imagining.

SPEAKER_00 25:04

You know what's interesting. Paul talks about spiritual growth.

SPEAKER_01 25:09

And he he doesn't use the word achievements. He uses the word fruit. Galatians 5, 22 and 23, but the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such things there is no law. He doesn't call them the trophies of the spirit, right? Something you earn. Or the accomplishments of the spirit. He says the fruit. And that's important because fruit tells you something about the health of the tree. It doesn't make the tree healthy. I think once again, we've reversed it. We look at people who seem incredibly patient or kind or joyful and thought, I need to become more like them. Okay, maybe.

SPEAKER_00 26:14

But maybe the better question is what are they connected to? Because healthy fruit has healthy roots.

SPEAKER_01 26:37

Honestly, I think that a lot of us have spent years spiritually stapling fruit onto our lives. We're trying to look patient and look joyful or peaceful and like we've got it all together. But meanwhile, our connection to Christ is fading. It's exhausting trying to manufacture what only God can produce.

SPEAKER_00 27:09

Not just because or not because following Jesus.

SPEAKER_01 28:15

People who knew Scripture. They attended worship. They looked faithful outwardly. Everything looked right, but inwardly their hearts were somewhere else. And that's sobering. Because it reminds me that Christianity isn't just about changing behavior, it's about surrendering your heart. And that's what God's been after from the very beginning. It's not perfect attendance or perfect theology or perfect performance. He wants your heart. And when he has your heart, everything else begins to change. Not perfectly, not overnight, but genuinely. And so when we look at the initial question that we posed, what does God actually want from me? It turns into a much simpler answer. He wants you. Not your habits or your Sunday mornings or your giving or your Bible reading plan. He wants your heart. Because when he has your heart, he'll change everything else he needs to change. You know, I think we've been asking the wrong question. And not because it's a bad question, it's a really good one. What does God want from me? But maybe we've been answering it the wrong way. Because if the first thing comes to mind is the same thing we talked about in the beginning: read your Bible, pray more, go to church, serve, give, then we've started the branches. Right? We started with the branches instead of the roots. Those things matter. Once again, don't hear me saying they don't, they absolutely matter. But they're those are the fruits. They're not the foundation. The foundation is the relationship. And I think what Jesus trying to get people to understand over and over again is not because he wanted less obedience, but because he wanted obedience that came from love instead of fear, like we said. Think about the people that Jesus spent time with, the tax collectors, the fishermen, the woman who was caught in adultery. Peter. None of them cleaned themselves up first. None of them had everything figured out. None of them walked up to Jesus and said, Give me a checklist and I'll come back when I've completed it so that way we can hang. They came as they were. They were confused and ashamed and skeptical. And very, very broken. And Jesus' invitation was remarkably consistent.

SPEAKER_00 31:17

Follow me.

SPEAKER_01 31:20

He didn't say, impress me, or earn this, or go fix yourself up and then we'll talk. He just said, follow me. And I've started wondering if we've unintentionally made following Jesus feel harder than Jesus ever made it. Not because discipleship's easy. It's not. Jesus said we have to deny ourselves, take up our cross, and follow him. That's costly. But costly isn't the same as complicated. We've added layers that Jesus never added. We've measured faith by things he never measured. And we've convinced people that if they miss a day reading their Bible, God must be disappointed. Or if they struggle with doubt, maybe they're failing. Or wrestling with sin after years of following Jesus, maybe they're not trying hard enough. And I don't think that's the picture Jesus painted. I think that Jesus painted a picture of a father who delights in his children learning to walk. Now think about that for a second. When a toddler takes their first step, what does a loving father do? He doesn't stand across the room with a clipboard and say, well, dripped up a little bit on step three.

SPEAKER_00 32:53

Walk it off, do better. No. He smiles.

SPEAKER_01 33:01

He reaches out and he celebrates every single shaky baby step forward. Because the point isn't perfection. The point is the relationship. The point is growth. The point is that the child keeps coming towards the Fat. And honestly, I wonder if that's what God sees us far more than we realize. I wonder if that's how He sees us. You see, we're not standing in heaven. He's not standing in heaven waiting for us to fail. He's standing with open arms, encouraging us. Keep coming.

SPEAKER_00 33:44

Come on. You can do it.

SPEAKER_01 33:50

And that doesn't make obedience less important. It makes obedience personal. Because I'm not obeying to earn his love. I'm obeying because I've experienced his love.

SPEAKER_00 34:04

And that's a huge difference. Obeying him because I've experienced his love creates gratitude.

SPEAKER_01 34:17

And gratitude changes people. Fear might change your behavior for a little while, but you're always going to go back to it. Love changes your heart. You know, I think back to something we talked about over the last couple episodes: church hurt, legalism, deconstruction, every single one of those conversations, in one way or another, involved people looking at something other than Jesus. Sometimes it was other people or rules or disappointment or unanswered questions. And why all of those things are real, none of them were ever meant to become the foundation of our faith. Jesus is. Obedience second, relationship first. Transformation follows. So what does God actually want from me? It's not flawless performance or religious activity or a lifetime full of spiritual accomplishments. I read the Bible fifteen times. He wants your heart. Because when he has your heart, he'll transform your life. Not all at once, not without setbacks or questions, but faithfully, one shaky little step at a time. So if you've been carrying the weight out there of trying to be good enough so that you can finally get that relationship with him, maybe today's the day you set that weight down. Stop trying to earn what Jesus already purchased. Stop measuring your relationship with God by a checklist. Walk with him, know him, and love him. And let everything else grow from there. That's a real Christian life.

SPEAKER_00 38:21

It's not a checklist, it's a relationship. Guys, I want to thank you for spending time with me today.

SPEAKER_01 38:37

And if this conversation encouraged you or maybe challenged you in a good way, I'd love for you to share it with someone who needs to hear it.

SPEAKER_00 38:49

I will talk to you guys next time.

SPEAKER_01 38:53

Once again, this is Bible basically, where we are figuring out faith together.