What Do You Want?

Some time ago, psychologist William Marston asked 3,000 people, “What have you to live for?”

He was shocked to find that 94 percent said they were simply enduring the present while waiting for the future. They described this as “waiting for something” to happen.

So, what do you live for?

“What do you want?”

This was the first question to fall from the lips of Jesus during his earthly ministry.

He asks that same question of us today: “What do you want? What are you looking for in life?”

How will you answer?

Deep in our hearts, most of us know what the answer should be. Yet our lives tell a different story. We seek out power, possessions and recognition, not a meaningful relationship with Jesus. But Jesus knows that’s what we need most. And he asks the question so we will acknowledge that need.

This is why Jesus once asked a sick man, “Do you want to get well?” (see John 5:6). You might wonder, “What kind of question is that? Of course, he would.” Not necessarily. For instance, not every person who has an alcohol or substance abuse problem wants to be free.

Not every Hollywood starlet with names like Nicole, Paris, Britney, or Lindsay necessarily wants to change their lifestyle.

Not every person who is living a sinful lifestyle wants to leave that life behind.

Not every person, no matter how miserable his or her life is, wants to change. But when we are ready for God’s help, He is there.

At the beginning of his ministry, Jesus met two men and asked them what they were looking for. They ended up getting more than they bargained for, because Jesus addressed the real need in their lives. And he will do the same for you. His words to them were “Come and see,” and he is still saying the same today. Let’s read about it:

The following day John was again standing with two of his disciples. As Jesus walked by, John looked at him and then declared, “Look, There is the Lamb of God!” Then John’s two disciples turned and followed Jesus.

Jesus looked around and saw them following. “What do you want?” he asked them.

They replied, “Rabbi” (which means Teacher), “where are you staying?”

“Come and see,” he said. It was about four o’clock in the afternoon when they went with him to the place, and they stayed there the rest of the day.

Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of these men who had heard what John said and then followed Jesus. The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, “We have found the Messiah” (which means the Christ).

Then Andrew brought Simon to meet Jesus. Looking intently at Simon, Jesus said, “You are Simon, the son of John—but you will be called Cephas” (which Peter). (John 1:35–42 NLT).

This shows how various people come to faith in Jesus Christ, and also provides an illustration of how Jesus deals with each person differently. The first two men, John and Andrew, heard John the Baptist proclaim Jesus as the “Lamb of God” and, as a result, sought out Jesus for themselves. Then Andrew, who had begun to follow Jesus the day before, brought his brother Simon Peter to Jesus.

The story goes on to include Philip, who apparently did not have any believer to really help him, but Jesus himself sought this person out: “The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, ‘Come, be my disciple.'” (John 1:43 NLT).

Then, the newly converted Philip sought out Nathanael and invited him to come and see for himself:

Philip went off to look for Nathanael and told him, “We have found the very person Moses and the prophets wrote about! His name is Jesus, the son of Joseph from Nazareth.”

“Nazareth!” exclaimed Nathanael. “Can anything good come from there?”

“Just come and see for yourself,” Philip said. (John 1:45–46 NLT).

Everyone is different. Perhaps you have heard the personal stories of people who have tragic backgrounds. Maybe they were involved in gangs, prostitution, or spent time in prison. Then, after coming to faith in Christ, their lifestyle changed dramatically—almost overnight.

After hearing testimonies like those, you start to feel as though your commitment to Jesus Christ may not be as significant as theirs. You think, “Nothing quite that dramatic has ever happened to me!” But this doesn’t mean these believers had a better conversion than you. It is just a different one.

We need to keep one simple thing in mind: God gives us all the same gift. We all receive the same grace. We all have sin in our lives. We were all on the road to eternal separation from God. We were all saved by the love of Christ. So you see, if you have put your faith in Jesus Christ to be your personal Lord and Savior, every one of us has a testimony that is worth sharing.

Just as people have different kinds of personalities and temperaments, people come to faith in different ways. Some may have a tremendous emotional experience at the moment they decide to follow Christ, while others may not. I didn’t. When I prayed and asked the Lord to come into my life, I didn’t feel a thing. Zip, zero. So I wrongly concluded that perhaps I wasn’t even converted.

But God wants us to live not by feelings but also by faith. As the Bible reminds us, “A righteous person will live by faith” (Hebrews 10:38 NLT). Emotions are not bad; you may experience God in a very real and profoundly emotional way. But this doesn’t happen for everyone.

We all come to Christ differently. Andrew and John found Jesus through a preacher’s message. Simon Peter and Nathanael came to Jesus as the result of the personal efforts of another believer. In the case of Philip, there was no human instrument used by God. He literally met Jesus in the middle of a regular day. It didn’t matter what these men were looking for. What they found was Jesus.

And you can find Him, too.