Have you ever wanted to know what God wants you to do? As you would probably guess, it’s quite a few things. In this article, I’ll share 10 of them along with some scriptures to back it up.
The 10 things God wants us to do are:
- Forgive Others
- Look After Widows and Orphans
- Keep Ourselves Pure
- Seek First His Kingdom and Righteousness
- Serve Others
- Give
- Share The Gospel
- Manage The Earth
- Pray
- Apply His Word
God Wants Us To Forgive Others
One of the most important things God wants us to do is forgive others. It’s one of the most important because God forgiving us depends on if we forgive others. Jesus made this clear in Matthew 6. Right after he taught the disciples how they should pray He said:
“For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.”
Matthew 6:14-15 NIV
It can’t get any clearer than that. Is there currently someone you need to forgive? Don’t let any more time pass by before doing so. We are always in need of God’s forgiveness. We fall short in ways we don’t even know. Don’t let what someone did be the reason God won’t forgive you.
Forgive Without Limit
In another passage, Peter asked Jesus “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?” (Matthew 18:21 NIV). Jesus replied, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times” (Matthew 18:22 NIV). Seventy-seven times is a lot and I don’t think he meant it literally. Just like God forgives without limit, He wants us to forgive without limit.
God Wants Us To Look After Widows and Orphans
Another thing God wants us to do is to look after widows and orphans. While confronting those who consider themselves religious but can’t control their tongue, James 1:21 says:
“Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world”.
James 1:21 NIV
In actuality, this verse states two things God wants us to do, but we’ll leave the second part for the next section.
Those who are distressed matter to God and he wants them to matter to us as well. In biblical times, men were the main providers. To be a child without a father or a woman without a husband meant things were hard if no other male figure was around for support.
One time Jesus looked out to the crowds and The Bible says “When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd” (Matthew 9:36 NIV). God has compassion for us and He wants us to have compassion for others. So look after the widows and orphans, and anyone in their distress.
God Wants Us To Keep Ourselves Pure
Following up on the last point, James 1:21 also indicated that God wants us to keep ourselves from being polluted by the world. You’ve probably heard it said before “be in the world but not of the world” or “you are the light of the world”.
Besides James 1:21, other scriptures show that God wants us to keep ourselves pure. Speaking of marriage, Ephesians likens the love a husband should have for his wife to the love Christ has for the church.
It also says Christ “gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish” (Ephesians 5:25-27 NIV).
Another good example is Romans 12:2 which says “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect” (NIV).
When sin entered the world we became infected. Through Jesus God ultimately made us pure. When he returns God wants us to be that way. Let’s keep at it.
God Wants Us To Seek First His Kingdom and Righteousness
The next thing God wants us to do is to seek first his kingdom and righteousness. While telling his audience that they shouldn’t worry about their basic needs, Jesus said “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well”.
Well, what is God’s kingdom and righteousness you might ask? His Kingdom is the governmental structure he put into place in the beginning. Like any society, it has its laws, culture, and customs. On the other hand, His righteousness is what he deems to be morally right. So to combine the two, God wants us to seek his desired way of living.
The alternative would be the way of the world which as you know leads us to worry about things like clothes and food. And as stated in another point, although we are in the world, we shouldn’t be of it. So do as God wants us to do. Seek his way of living. He promised that we don’t have to worry about anything if we do.
God Wants Us To Serve Others
God also wants us to serve others. After a mother asked Jesus to grant her sons seats to his left and right when he came into his Kingdom, Jesus used the opportunity to teach his disciples about the desire to become great. He told them “Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave” (Matthew 20:26-27 NIV).
Are you surprised? By now you probably realize that the world operates contrary to how God wants us to operate. Jesus, being our great example, then said “just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:28 NIV).
Just like Jesus was sent to serve, so were we sent to serve. Each of us was given a gift when we were sent to this earth. God wants us to serve that gift to others. If you haven’t started serving yours, what are you waiting for?
God Wants Us To Give
Similar to serving others, God wants us to be generous. Psalms 24:1 states that “The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it;” (NIV). Understanding that, we should treat the things we possess as God’s assets. God wants us to be prepared to give things away at any moment. “But I worked for those things” you might argue! Well, we and our energy belong to him too.
In Luke 6:38 Jesus said, “Give, and it will be given to you…”. One of the proverbs says “Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the LORD, and he will reward them for what they have done” (Proverbs 19:17 NIV). You might recall Malachi 3:10 says “Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house…” (NIV).
Based on The Bible, it’s without a doubt God wants us to give. God has shown us the ultimate example of giving by giving his only son! Why not be more generous starting today?
God Wants Us To Share The Gospel
If you are a believer, this one shouldn’t come as a surprise. God not only wants us to accept the gospel but also to share it. To his disciples, Jesus said, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation” (Mark 16:15 NIV). If we are his disciples we are to do the same.
It doesn’t mean we have to leave our jobs and do it full time, but just like any good news, we should be excited to share it whenever we can. You do know the word gospel means good news right?
Just to be clear, the gospel that Jesus preached is the gospel of the kingdom of God. It’s such an important task that Jesus denied staying with some people once saying “I must proclaim the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns also, because that is why I was sent” (Luke 4:43 NIV).
Even in our lifestyle, God wants us to share the gospel. Highlighting the power of our behavior, 1 Peter 3:1 says “Wives, in the same way submit yourselves to your own husbands so that, if any of them do not believe the word, they may be won over without words by the behavior of their wives” (NIV). So share the gospel through speech and actions. That’s what God wants us to do.
God Wants Us To Manage The Earth
Another thing God wants us to do is to manage the earth. This includes making use of everything He gave us and showing Him a return. Did you know that’s why God created us in the first place? In Genesis 1:28 God told man:
“Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.”
Genesis 1:28 NIV
A great parable that further shows God wants us to manage what He gave us is the Parable of the Talents. Jesus likens God’s Kingdom to “a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted to them his property” (Matthew 25:14 ESV). The parable goes on to say how each servant was given talents that they were expected to generate a return from. The ones that managed their talents well were commended, but the one that didn’t was rebuked.
What has God given you that you can do more with? Are you helping to manage the earth? God wants you to.
God Wants Us To Pray
God also wants us to pray. Teaching his listeners how they should pray, Jesus in Matthew 6:5 began by saying “And when you pray…” (NIV). Notice He said “when” rather than “if”. This shows that He expects us to pray. Another verse says “pray continually” (1 Thessalonians 5:17 NIV).
When we pray, we partner with God to make things happen on earth. Saint Augustine famously said, “Without God, man cannot, and without man, God will not”. God is prepared and willing to give us anything we ask of him as long as it’s within his will. 1 John 5:14 says “This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us” (NIV).
Don’t know what his will is? You can begin to discover it through reading His Word. Even then we are still limited. This is why Paul said “the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans” (Romans 8:26 NIV). Even if it’s just “Thank you Lord for leading me to this article”, Why not say a quick prayer right now?
God Wants Us To Apply His Word
Lastly, God wants us to apply his word. Without application, all of the things you learned in this article will be for nothing. Addressing those who don’t obey, Jesus said “Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say? (Luke 6:46 NIV).
He went on to describe everyone that hears his words and puts them into practice as a builder that built a house on a rock. Those that don’t He described as building without a foundation. When a storm came, the building on the rock remained strong whereas the building without a foundation collapsed.
Additionally, James 1:22 says we deceive ourselves when we listen to the word but don’t do what it says. The passage goes on to say “anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like” (James 1:23-24 NIV).
So now that you learned all these things God wants you to do, the question is will you do them? God wants you to!
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Timely read, this was personal to me. My father died before I was born, I was raised without a father. As the familiar saying goes, “who feels it knows it!” However, by spending time reading the Word and communicating with God in prayer, I have learned that God is “a father to the fatherless”. I am adopted through the faith and now believe that God loves me just like He loves all of His children. Therefore, I will share this GOOD NEWS with the world!
very good article. just one correction … in Matthew 18.22, Jesus’ answer is not ‘seven times seven’ which would be 49. it is ‘seventy times seven’ which is 490.
Thanks for your feedback Nancy!
Simply-AWESOME!!!
🙂
Thank you.
This was really helpful
You’re welcome!
Thanks for help me, to know more about God. Please pray for me to get a good job. And also pray for my familily to come back.
Glad to hear it help.
Heavenly Father, thank you for knowing what we need before we ask. I pray that you guide Protus to a job that will give you glory. May his family be restored as well. If it’s your will we ask these things in Jesus’ name amen!
I awoke early this morning thinking about what “love” is. I settled with the thought that: Love for another is the desire to give what another wants. Clearly a very simplistic view as one immediately notes that another may want what is not good for them, and, love is not giving what is not good.
I profess to love God and my thoughts led to searching out what God wants; it is my hearts desire to deliver to God what He wants. So a quick google search led me to your posting.
Words without action are empty; finding what is actionable and what God wants, provides me the avenue of a life testimony of God. Thank you for your post.
That’s beautiful. I’m Happy to hear that God used this post to bless you. Thanks for sharing!