What do you want from me? This questioned has been asked by every frustrated husband, wife, child, parent, employee and employer. It usually comes at a time when you feel every effort has been expended to please another person, yet your performance still doesn’t measure up to the receiver’s expectations. It can create a sense of hopelessness in the performer that if not dealt with properly, will result in the person simply giving up or trying to prove themselves in adverse, destructive behaviors.
The source of most of the frustrations of life is the lack of clear communication. No matter how hard you try, you will live in perpetual frustration if you have no idea what is expected by your spouse, parent, employer or God. Have you ever felt that God has set the “bar” way too high and that you will never measure up to His standard? Go to any Christian church in America this Sunday and if you listen closely, a song, testimony, sermon or prayer request will make a statement of God’s “requirements.” The statements will be as diverse as the Tenants of Faith espoused by the denomination of the church you are attending. You may leave as frustrated and as unsure of the answer as when you drove into the parking lot.
What does God require of me? Some people climb into their “box” of religion. They feel as long as they remain surrounded by the 4 sides of a particular “box,” they are pleasing God. Many cover themselves with a “security blanket” of church rituals. As long as the rituals are performed properly and at regular intervals, God will find them acceptable. Others find reassurance in following a set list of rules. They believe as long as every rule is followed, all the t’s are crossed and the i’s dotted, they have measured up to God’s standard. Perhaps the reason all of our efforts leave us frustrated is because we forgot to ask God for his list of requirements. Living a life pleasing to God is really not complicated. Does God have a list of rules to live by? YES!!! They are very clearly stated in His Word and they may surprise you.
Israel, God’s chosen people, were no different from the New Testament Church, they wanted to please God but their efforts always fell short of God’s Law. Deuteronomy 10:12 gives us a list of God’s requirements; “And now, Israel, what doth the Lord thy God require of thee, but to fear the Lord thy God, to walk in all His ways, and to love him and to serve the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul.“ God used Solomon to confirm our duty to God in Ecclesiastes 12:13; “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.” In Micah 6:8 we find a couple additional requirements to add to our “list;” “He hath showed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?” The Pharisees were constantly trying to explain the law and make sure everyone was following according to their interpretation. Jesus was asked by the Pharisees, what was the greatest commandment on the list. I’m sure they were shocked to hear Jesus say simply in Matthew 22:37-40, “Thou shall love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shall love thy neighbor as thyself. 40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.” Not only did they have to accept that their interpretations were incorrect but if this philosophy became widely accepted they would lose their control over the people. Paul addressed the “list” with the Holy Ghost filled church of Galatia. They were arguing over what they could and could not ‘get by with.” Paul settled the discussion by stating in Galatians 5:16, “This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.”
For those who are not willing to get out of your “box” of religion, you will keep searching, trying to please God through your own efforts and continue to live a life of frustration. If you feel safe clutching your security blanket of ritual and tradition, the blanket will become threadbare and full of holes and you will still fall short of God’s standard. Now to all of us who need a list, make sure your list is God’s list. God’s list is simply:
1. Fear the Lord thy God.
2. Keep His commandments.
3. Do justly.
4. Love mercy.
4. Walk Humbly.
5. Love the Lord with all thy heart, soul and mind.
6. Love thy neighbor as thyself.
7. Walk in the Spirit
