What God Wants Most

It is interesting to note what God says when He speaks.  To look at this, we should summarize the progression of how God speaks as it is recorded in the Bible.  As the Bible begins, it shows God speaking to early people directly.  And we see people worshipping in a rather simple way, using altars and often offering animal sacrifices.  As time progresses, God brings the Law, a special law for His special people, the Jews.  This law becomes the standard all of the way through the rest of the Old Testament.  As the NT begins, we find that God is not speaking directly to His people, but does so through His Son, Jesus.  Then as Jesus departs the earth as finally recorded in Acts 1, God through the Holy Spirit speaks to and through the apostles.  Knowing that these men will not live forever, God through the Holy Spirit, has these men and a few others write words approved by God, breathed in by God; thus, the NT books.  God now speaks to us through His Word which has been completed and provided for us to follow.  It is a beautiful progression....and produces a beautiful result in us.

Now with all of that summarization completed, I want to focus on a couple of common things that God would often say.  Many times, over and over in the OT, God would say these two things when He began to speak to His people:

1)  "I Am the Lord your God....." (Note Exodus 20:2 where God gives the 10 commandments). And:

2)  "...who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage."

It was very important, imperative to God, that His people understand and believe that HE IS GOD.  And secondly, He wanted His people to remember that He is a god who takes care of them.  This brings to mind Hebrews 11:6 in the NT:

"...he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him."  This is a restatement of exactly what God said in Exodus 20.  It is obviously important to God for us to remember these two things: that He is....and that He is a rewarder; He was then; He is now. 

A final thought is that when God speaks/spoke, He never said was or will be about Himself.  It was always is IS.  God IS.  "I AM!"  This seems to be the definition of His name, Jehovah: I AM, emphasizing that God always IS.  And remember that Jesus said many times about Himself, "I AM......"   I am the light of the world, etc.  Let us always honor Him by observing these two things about the Lord, our God. 

Thanks for reading.  Have a great week!