03 Feb God Gets What He Wants in the End
As we head into 2021, we all have something we want from this year. Any new year is full of dreams and hopes as we hang up new calendars and buy new planners, we have lists of ways this year could be better. What about God? What does He want? The Bible is pretty clear about what He wants, and, spoiler alert, in the end, He gets it!
What does God want?
As I recently read Deuteronomy and reflected on its relationship to the rest of the Bible, I found out a little of what God wants:
“The Lord will establish you as a holy people to Himself, just as He has sworn to you, if you keep the commandments of the Lord your God and walk in His ways.” – Deuteronomy 28:9
From the beginning of the Bible, God deeply desires to be in a loving relationship with His precious creations: human beings. He chooses to create us with the ability to know Him – and the free will to rebel against Him. After all, if we did not choose to freely give Him our love, it would not be love! But tragedy strikes as people, again and again, rebel against God and His invitation into a loving relationship with Him. We are prone to idol worship instead. In the Old Testament, God sets out some clear rules and outlines what will happen when we make these poor decisions:
But it shall come to pass if you do not obey the voice of the Lord your God…curses will come upon you. – Deuteronomy 28:15
Even with the threat of severe curses like death, pain, sorrow and sickness, people are unable to bring sinful nature under control. From Exodus to Malachi, the last book of the Old Testament, the human race puts on a forlorn and embarrassing display of wicked rebellion against God. And without obedience, we were doomed to live under the curses of Deuteronomy 28 for the rest of eternity.
The Narrow Way
Yet God’s love made a way: prophecy in the Old Testament also hinted towards a future where sin would not be the barrier that it was. In no way were the curses forgotten – in fact:
Christ, has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, ‘cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree), that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith. – Galatians 3:13-14
We are now able to receive the promise of reconciliation to God not because we’ve figured out a formula to overcome our sinful nature – but because through faith in Jesus we can receive His righteousness! God dealt with two issues on the cross then: the curse of sin was taken on Jesus’ shoulders so that we would no longer be cursed, and God could be reconciled with His people that He loved from the beginning.
At the end of time, God is with His people
And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying. ‘Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes and there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away. – Revelation 21:3-4
This prophecy in Revelation can fill us with so much joy. As much as we are reconciled with God whilst on this earth, one day we will be together with Him just as He has wanted since the beginning. The sorrow and pain caused by sin will be gone. The Bible likens this relationship with God to be as refreshing, necessary, and life-giving as water.
Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely. – Revelation 22:17
This is an open invitation – have you taken freely from the water of life?
Kate is the current owner and editor of Cup of Faith. She is a blogger who loves Jesus, loves to read, and currently lives in Johannesburg with her husband.
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