A Crucial Question

Sorry I've been the absentee blogger. With preparing for a retreat this weekend, helping a slew of brilliant Next Step Speaker Services clients finish their projects and an India meeting on Monday, I've been happily working but swamped. Your life is busy too, so I know you understand!

I'm doing the Jesus day today since I'm leaving tomorrow morning for Fredricksburg, VA to be with the Southside Church women. Can't wait to be with them and dig into God's Word!

This morning I started over in John. I'm smitten with this gospel and feeling led to reread the words in red in John while also reading I John. John, the disciple that Jesus loved, writes about Jesus with such deep love that its making me fall more in love with Him too.

Have you ever taken notice of Jesus' first words reported in John? I never had, and it was literally an eye-opener in the dark hours this morning!

"What do you want?"

Two of John's disciples were following behind Jesus when He turned around and asked that crucial question.

They answered with a pretty literal answer that I think also reveals their heart..."Rabbi, where are you staying?"

I think Jesus still asks that question to get us to search our hearts.

"What do you want?"

I started with the same reply as the disciples this morning and then began to list:

I want to be close to you.

I want to go where you go.

I want to see you at work.

I want to understand your love and grace. (Yes, I'm still grappling with love and grace!)

I want to see your power at work.

I listed more personal "I wants" too. As I would think my list was finished, I would hear His still voice asking again, "What do you want?" The more I listed, the more passionate my replies became. It's a question that both reveals our hearts and begins to develop a craving for the higher things.

How about you? What's your answer to Jesus' question, "What do you want?"