Ours is a world of expectations. Children are expected to do well in school. College graduates expect to embark on a high paying career. Investors expect their portfolio will pay huge dividends. Life is filled with expectations, some are met, others are not.
God also has expectations. God expects humanity to obey his law. He expects people will worship him, that his people will love him with all their heart, mind, soul and strength. God expects us to love our neighbor as ourselves, sharing our faith in order to bear fruit for God’s kingdom. Yet, it seems there is a wide gap between God’s expectations and those of humanity.
These days, people tend to live for themselves more than for God. We strive to be self-sufficient, secure and independent. The farther we stray from God’s expectations, the more we fall short. Our best effort is not good enough. In the end, our sense of expectation is replaced with worry. Why? Simple, our expectations don’t match God’s.
Jesus teaches us that God supplies everything we need to live a fruitful and abundant life. Even as God cares and provides for the plants and animals, how much more will God care and provide for those created in his image and likeness? The truth is God provides for his people and expects we will acknowledge him for it. As we do, we realize the tremendous blessing of being called “Child of God.”
The world expects people will live a certain way, living for self rather than for God. God’s expectations are much different, and when we fall short God supplies his grace which is sufficient in every need. For just as our failure to meet God’s expectations weighs heavy on our hearts, even greater is God’s desire to provide for his people.
Father, give me the strength and will to seek your kingdom above all else, and follow your son Jesus Christ. Amen.
In the Beginning 