WHAT DOES GOD WANT FROM ME THIS YEAR?

“I want what God wants for me.” – Unknown

Have you ever wondered, “What is God’s will for my life? That’s a great question. Of course, God has specific and unique things that He wants for each of us. We are each gifted and called differently. But God also has some things that He desires for all of us. We can get so hung up on the particulars that we miss the universals—the big things God wants for all of us.

God wants a love relationship with you in 2024. That, in a nutshell, is the theme of the Bible, cover to cover. It starts in Genesis. God created you in His image—like Himself—to have a relationship with you. God is love, and that love was shared and expressed long before God created us. We were created for His pleasure, to be loved by Him, and to love Him back.

Revelation 3:20 says, “Look! I stand at the door and knock. If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in, and we will share a meal together as friends.” The Bible starts with God “walking about in the garden” (Genesis 3:8) and ends with Jesus knocking on our doors, hoping we’ll invite him in for a meal. God wants a relationship with you.

Christianity is fundamentally relational. It is about a relationship with God, which He Himself made possible. We were created to know God, to be close to God, to enjoy God, to worship Him, and to bring Him glory. A true relationship with God will not happen automatically. We must want it, really want it. If you want an intimate relationship with God, He must become a priority. It must be something that you are motivated to do. It will not come from a sense of obligation.

There will be times when we have a real hunger and desperation for God. There will be times when we can’t get enough of Him. There will be times when we feel His presence in tangible ways. At times like these, God will feel close, and there will be the intimacy we seek. But real intimacy means we do those things even during times of trial or when bad things keep popping up, and it is a labor of love to pray, to spend time in the word, and to serve. The most profound growth in intimacy in our relationship with God comes when we worship and serve God regardless of adverse circumstances.

Augustine said, “To fall in love with God is the greatest of all romances; To seek Him, the greatest adventure; To find Him, the greatest human achievement.”

God wants a relationship with you.

What will you do this year to draw closer to Jesus?

Discussion Questions:

What keeps you from having a more intimate relationship with God?
What role does fear play in developing an intimate relationship with God?
How can we improve our relationship with God?