We’ve all seen it, probably experienced it. A young guy has become infatuated with a young lady. He desires to be with her as much as possible and make her happy. On a scale of 1 to 10 (10 = high), his desire level is a 10. But for whatever reason, she does not share that same level of desire for him. She exhibits a slight desire, perhaps a three or four, resulting in shared frustration. He is frustrated because she doesn’t desire him, and she is frustrated because she feels he is smothering her. The reality is that he is not able to make her desire him, nor is she able to make herself desire him, even when she knows he is an exceptionally nice guy who could provide well for her in their future. So, eventually, they avoided each other.
This occurrence manifests in every facet of life. You desire a certain job, but the owner doesn’t desire something about you. Consider the connection between you and God, or between your friend and God. God’s desire for you and your friend would be at a level 10, while you or your friend desire to be intimate with God is at the other extreme. We often desire pleasure, independence, power, or whatever else. However, God patiently massages your or your friends’ desire to become more compatible with His. In some cases, people’s desires change, and in other cases, they never desire Him enough to surrender their kingdom, where they are king or queen, to His kingdom.
Contrary to the way we typically think, God is more interested in our desire to be close friends with Him than He is in our performance or knowledge about Him. His ways are not our ways. His value system is not the same as ours. Perhaps the problem is that we want Him to get involved, but He doesn’t do as we wish. Like all of us, He wants to be loved for who He is rather than what He does or can do. He knows if He works a miracle for us it will distract us from seeking Him for who He is. In a sense, we want Him to dance to our rhythm, but He insists on us dancing to His.
Why would He refuse to dance to our rhythm? He operates a different kingdom and knows we would never be content in His Heaven until we submit to the values and ways His kingdom is founded on. Long before this world was formed, His kingdom was established, and it will persist even after the planet’s fiery demise.
The interesting thing is, we can’t make ourselves love Him as much as He insists we love Him, and He honors our free will enough that He won’t make us love Him. If we don’t pay attention to His nudging and drawing, we will be left out of living in His kingdom. “For no one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them to me, and at the last day I will raise them up.” John 6:44 (NLT2) The crazy thing is, we can become so obsessed with what is going on in our lives that we ignore His drawing when He does tug on our heartstrings.
To what degree would your current actions prove your love for Him? He gives us time to grow in our love for Him but we must continue to allow His Spirit to increase our love for Him. Jesus said, “And you must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.” Mark 12:30 (NLT2) Ironically, the more we love Him, the more abundant our life will be. I’m still learning that. Interestingly, I’ve come to love Him more after my wonderful wife graduated to be with Him. I didn’t think I could love Him more, but I do, and my joy has increased. If you want your love for Him to increase, simply respond quickly when you sense His nudge. Your love for Him will increase as you respond to His love.