God, what can I do for You?

This meme is my motto! It’s how I came to Torah approximately three years after I “got saved” in a little Baptist church in Missouri. The whole time after I “got saved,” I kept thinking, “There has to be more to this than just “believing in Jesus!” I felt like this relationship was an endless one-way street, because all the prayers I ever heard were from people demanding something from Him: “Heal me, help me, do for me, get me a job, provide my family with rent money, save my marriage…” On and on. .

Yes, I completely understood that we are to go to God with our every need and request. But, what were WE were supposed to do for Him in return? I asked that question of my pastor, and his response was, “Carmen, you don’t have to do anything for Him except BELIEVE.” (His motto was: "Jesus plus nothing.")

Oh, yes, of course. Sure. Just like I was supposed to search the writings of Paul to get my every Bible question answered….

After a couple years passed, I sold my house and all my possessions and moved to Colorado because the Holy Spirit told me to. (True story – the Ruach bugged me for six months to move here!) At first, nothing much happened and I thought I had misheard the Ruach, and almost returned to Missouri. I had done some“church hopping” in hopes of finding one that would fill that little “hole in my soul” that longed for more …

But, nothing. They ALL taught this “one-way street” idea, which absolutely irked me to pieces. God apparently wanted nothing from us. It was all about HIM giving and giving and giving because He was all about "love, mercy and grace." Yes, I got that, but something STILL didn't feel right....

But then, it happened! Through a truly unique series of events, I ended up in a Messianic Torah study, and – oh my gosh! – there it was - what I could DO for God! I could DO those things outlined in His Torah! I could start keeping HIS commanded Seventh Day Sabbath and the Feasts - all of which were our "dates" with Him! And I could start eating “clean” foods and recognize that as "one in Christ" we were all the SAME. After all, Scripture tells us that in Messiah there is no Jew nor Gentile, male or female, no slave nor free (Galatians 3:28)…. Same God, same rules, baby!

What's more, He EXPECTS us to do those things for Him! Just "believing" doesn't really cut it. For YHWH, it's a TWO-WAY street, ALL the time - Halleluyah! He does for us; we do for Him, we do for each other, with no motive except for love - simple! Nobody keeps score. It's just a great way of life.

That's not so hard to understand, is it?

WOW! My perpetual prayer had FINALLY been answered! “God, what can I do for YOU?” All I ever wanted was to DO for Him because, as far as I'm concerned what His Divine Son did for me on the cross was enough. I had been "in the world" for half my life; I now wanted to spend the other half working for Him. It was the least I could do for the Grace and Mercy I received when ADONAI sent His Divine Son, who gave me the chance at eternal life, merely by BELIEVING in Him!