What God Wants

In our me centred culture, a lot of people are constantly tuned to WIIFM - What's in it for me?

Knowing this, and being kind of tuned that way ourselves, we Christians will often encourage others to come to faith in Jesus, with the sole emphasis: here is all that God offers to you; here is all that God can do for you. If we are not careful, those of us who preach, teach and lead churches can use only this approach - doing our enthusiastic best to tell people all the good things that they will experience if they "commit to follow Jesus." This is not wrong, but it is very incomplete and can be very unbalanced.
A far better approach is to help people face the solemn, very biblical and God centred question: What does God want from me?
One often quoted biblical response is to from Micah 6:8: "He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God." But this verse does not cover all of God's response.

This morning I read again the more complete answer given in Deuteronomy 10:12. "And now. O Israel, what does the Lord your God ask of you but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and to observe the Lord's commands and decrees that I am giving you today for your own good?"
I don't think God, humans or believers have changed. I am sure that this is still what God expects from you and me: 1. To worship Him with reverence and holy fear. 2. To live like Him (walk in His ways) 3. To love Him. 4. To serve Him wholeheartedly. 5. To obey His commands.

This verse provides an amazingly thorough answer to the question: What does God want from me? I believe Jesus taught the same truth and the rest of the NT confirms it.
Most surprising, if you have never really noticed this verse before, is the last phrase: "for your own good." If I stay God centred, giving God what He wants and deserves, it will ultimately result in the best for me.
This is absolutely true; but you cannot know this experientially, until you begin to respond by faith to God's desire for you. Those of us who have been living this way, not perfectly, but sincerely, have proved that seeking to do and be what God wants, really is for our own good. It is and has been, the best way to live.