He wants you to live a radical life. A lifestyle that pushes the boundaries of what you think is achievable. Push yourself forward don’t shrink back. If you want to experience the excitement of His kingdom then you need to adopt a different attitude to life. Don’t play safe and don’t think that He is going to give you an easy ride. He didn’t call you to be ordinary and run of the mill. That is a fabrication of the enemy.
What has happened up until now has been a byproduct of your upbringing and experiences. It seems real to you but He wants you to see His version of you. The true version. The true you which is so very different to the one that has been painted in your head and on your heart. He hopes you will begin to understand the depth of the love and compassion He has for you. Believe it or not He does understand you even if you don’t.
He keeps asking you ‘Do you love Me?’ because He wants you to be blessed and to be a blessing. He asks you ‘Do you believe in Me?’ because He wants you to trust Him and encourage others to trust Him. If you decide in your heart to do all that He asks you to do, you will find peace, rest and joy. This is something to be learned, there is no short cut. Just a willingness to be obedient. Obedience is not just doing as you are told. It is yielding yourself to Him completely and trusting Him who loves you more than anyone, it is all about being faithful to Him.
The word ‘obedience’, in your mind, may be a negative word that conjures up images of a faceless bureaucrats or authority figures telling you what to do. With God that is not true. Anything He asks you to do is for your good and the good of others. He just reserves the right not to tell you why or have to explain Himself every time He asks you to say or do something. He doesn’t need to justify Himself to you or anyone else. He would love for you to just trust Him completely and unreservedly.
He wants you to believe in Him and love Him. His love for you is not conditional on you loving Him but your love for Him is conditional on Him loving you. On His part of the equation He has been faultless and faithful. All you have to do is respond to Him and not harden your heart through unbelief.