Paul is the best example of this. God’s agenda was his agenda,
and God’s passion was his: “The thing that has me so upset is that I
care about you so much—this is the passion of God burning inside
me!”^11 David felt the same way: “Passion for your house burns
within me, so those who insult you are also insulting me.”^12
What does God care about most? The redemption of his
people. He wants all his lost children found! That’s the whole
reason Jesus came to earth. The dearest thing to the heart of God
is the death of his Son. The second dearest thing is when his
children share that news with others. To be a friend of God, you
must care about all the people
around you whom God cares
about. Friends of God tell their
friends about God.
I must desire friendship with
God more than anything else.
The Psalms are filled with examples
of this desire. David passionately
desired to know God above all else; he used words like longing,
yearning, thirsting, hungering. He craved God. He said, “The
thing I seek most of all is the privilege of meditating in his Temple,
living in his presence every day of my life, delighting in his
incomparable perfections and glory.”^13 In another psalm he said,
“Your love means more than life to me.”^14
Jacob’s passion for God’s blessing on his life was so intense that
he wrestled in the dirt all night with God, saying, “I will not let
you go unless you bless me.”^15 The amazing part of that story is that
God, who is all powerful, let Jacob win! God isn’t offended when
we “wrestle” with him, because wrestling requires personal
contact and brings us close to him! It is also a passionate activity,
and God loves it when we are passionate with him.
Paul was another man passionate for friendship with God.
Nothing mattered more; it was the first priority, total focus, and
ultimate goal of his life. This is the reason God used Paul in such
PURPOSE #1: You Were Planned for God’s Pleasure 97
The more you become God’s
friend, the more you will care
about the things he cares about.