What Does God Want of Me?

     Francis Frangipane learned of immorality among the leaders of his denomination, so he went to the headquarters to plead for repentance. Instead of repenting, the leaders asked him to leave the group.

So in 1979, this young pastor found himself with his wife and four children with no money and no place to live. They finally located a 100-year-old house in Iowa.To keep warm each night, the whole family cuddled on one large mattress about 18 feet from a wood-burning stove. His nightly project was to build enough heat in the stove to keep them warm.

The stove became a kind of altar to him, and each night he offered to God his unfulfilled dreams. Even in summer, he would sit on the chair next to the stove and pray. His continual prayer was, "Lord, what do You want of me?"

Three years of seeking God passed, and he still carried an emptiness inside. He had started a couple Bible studies, but he longed to be a pastor. He feared he had lost touch with God's call on his life.

One day standing in the kitchen, he repeated again his prayer, "Lord, what do You want of me?"

The Lord suddenly spoke directly to his heart, "Love Me where you're at."

"Lord, is that all You want of me?"

The Lord replied, "This is all I will ever require of you."

God desires our love more than our service. And we can express our love to Him no matter what our role in life is.

Thank You, Jesus, that to love You in our present situation is all You ask of any of us.

"The Father himself loves you dearly because you love me" (John 16:27 NLT).