Expectations

God's Three Expectations

Revelation 14:7

"Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters."

Any Christian who truly wants to please God would want to know what God expects from them. Knowing His expectations would help any Christian to live a better life. I often tell people that God always gives the answer to everything in life. God has not placed you on Earth without giving you the expectations for how you should live. The verse above shows us three expectations that God has for every Christian. Each of these expectations will help you in becoming a better Christian.

First, God expects you to fear Him. One of the most misunderstood subjects in the Scriptures is the fear of God. Many believe that fearing God is having an attitude of fear toward Him. God would never want anyone to be afraid of Him. You are afraid of someone because of what they might do to you. The fear of God is simply having a respect of His power.

Years ago my wife and I used to travel with a fifth-wheel trailer. Many of the churches we held meetings in had no electrical connections for a fifth-wheel trailer. I learned how to hook up my trailer straight into the electrical panel. Preachers would often ask me if I wanted them to shut the whole panel off. I always responded that the only thing I wanted was for them to stay away so that I could work without any interference. I knew inside of that panel was the power to give us electricity to power our fifth-wheel trailer. Yet, I also knew that the same power that could benefit us to live comfortably could hurt me if I didn't respect or fear it.

That is exactly what the fear of God is. Fearing God is realizing that His power can help you to do the works that He commands you to do; however, that same power can hurt you if you don't live according to His Word. God expects you to fear Him, not so that He can hurt you, but so that you can use that power to serve Him.

Second, God expects you to give Him glory. With everything you do in life you should strive to give God the glory. Too many Christians want to take credit when they should be giving credit to God. Christian, God deserves the credit for your successes because He is the One Who gives you the wherewithal to do those things. Don't become so self-centered that you try to take the credit that belongs to God. If you will lift God up by giving Him credit, in return He will lift you up in the eyes of man.

Finally, God expects you to worship Him. Worshipping God is not going to church, but worshipping God is living a life that is pleasing to Him. Psalm 29:2 says, "Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name; worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness." Notice, holiness is what God calls worship. In other words, every time you do right you are worshipping God. If you want to fulfill God's expectation of worshipping Him, then be sure to live a life that would please Him.

God's expectations are not unreal. You will find that if you will obey one of these expectations, then you will obey them all. All three expectations are interwoven with each other. I challenge you to start everyday reminding yourself of what God expects from you. If you will live according to God's expectations for you, then you will most certainly please Him with your life.

Prepared

Which Were Prepared

Revelation 9:15

"And the four angels were loosed, which were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year, for to slay the third part of men."

We often overlook the little phrases in verses that are as important to our lives as the context of the whole chapter. In the verse above, God is unleashing His wrath upon the world. It says that God loosed four angels to carry out this task. What is interesting is that these angels were prepared for their task. They weren't haphazardly given a task to do at the last minute, but they were given the task well ahead of time, and they prepared for at least a year to carry out their task. According to this verse, they prepared and planned for a whole year, and every month, day and hour how they were going to do the task that God wanted them to do.

The success of every task is accomplished in the preparation. It doesn't matter how much talent one may have, it only matters how much preparation is made. The act on the stage is not what measures the success, it is the preparation in practice that determines the success. It is not the plays on the field that determine a team's success, but it is the hours of watching film and practicing plays that determines the success of a team. I would rather have a team that has less talent but works hard in their preparation than a team that has great talent but does little preparation. Success is made in the preparation, not in the performance. Sure, we enjoy the performance of success, but all the hard work and preparation behind the scenes is what allowed the success to happen.

If you are going to be successful in your life, career or endeavor, then much attention must be given to the preparation time. You may have talent that will give you some success, but great success will only happen if there is much time given to preparation. You cannot have great success without great preparation.

Success starts in the preparation of your annual goals. The verse above says that the angels prepared for a year. You should start preparing for events a year ahead. Planning for an event a week or month ahead will only cause you to have to rush the preparation. Prepare ahead in your finances. Don't wait until you are pushing your senior years to start planning for your retirement. Plan for your retirement years prior to it.

Moreover, every month preparation should be made for upcoming events. For instance, I start preparing for upcoming revival meetings a month in advance. Don't get me wrong, my schedule is planned annually, but my detailed planning for a meeting is done a month in advance. I start preparing my mind for the meetings of the month. I start looking for the sermons I will preach at that church a month in advance. My purpose for this is that it allows my mind to take truths that I will preach and tailor those truths to that church. You should work on next month's events this month.

Furthermore, you should live each day with a daily schedule. Start your day by planning what you will do. Plan to accomplish things that day. Don't let a day go by when you haven't accomplished something. Have a schedule for tasks that you must accomplish that day.

Finally, plan what time you will do each task. When a time comes for you to do something, then give your full attention to that task. Don't worry about your next task, for you can give your next task the attention needed when the scheduled time comes. Give the task at hand your complete attention.

Success will always be determined in the preparation. Don't ever treat the time of preparation as insignificant. How much you prepare will determine the degree of success you have. If you spend little time preparing, then you will have little success; however, if you spend much time and effort in preparation, then you will find great success.

Everything

Everything From Beginning to End

Revelation 1:8

"I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty."

When reading a book, you want the beginning, ending and everything in between to be something that is good. There are times when the beginning isn't as good as the in-between and ending. Then, there are times when you have to be patient between the beginning and the ending because it is not real interesting. Unfortunately there are also times when the ending is not as good as the beginning and the in-between. When you read a book you want it to be good from the beginning to the end.

God says that He is the "Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending,..." God is the complete package. God is the One with which everything begins. He is the One Who consists in between, and He is also the One Who will end all things. There is nothing lacking with God. With God you have a good beginning. With God you can have a good in-between. With God you can have a good ending. God is everything, and He can make everything good if you will allow Him to be a part of your life from beginning to end.

God says that He is the beginning. In other words, you should not start anything without beginning with God. God started everything when He created this world, so why would you not include Him when you begin things in your life. The beginning is certainly one of the most important aspects of how you set the foundation for everything else to be built upon. If you want a good day, then you should begin your day with God. If you want a good marriage, then you should begin it with God. If you want a good family, then you should begin it with God. If you want a good career, then you should begin it with God. Before you start any endeavor, you should always decide that you are going to begin with God.

There are some who did not begin with God, but let me assure you that God is also everything in-between. So, you did not start off right, then include God now and get everything back on track. If you began with God, then don't forsake Him in the middle of everything. God not only got you going right, but He will also keep you going right. Christian, don't make the mistake of forsaking God when you are in the in-between of your life. It is during this time of your life or endeavor that you need Him the most. Many people start right, but they leave God in the in-between stages of life. If you start your day off with God, then don't forsake God in the afternoon. If you start your marriage off with God, then don't forsake Him after you have seen some success in your marriage. Many people start off with God and experience blessings from Him only to forsake Him because of those blessings. Those blessings came because you started off with God, and they will continue if you will keep Him in the in-between of life.

Finally, be sure to end right. Don't get to the end of your life, marriage or endeavor and forsake God. If you want your ending to be a good ending, then you had best keep God in it as well. I have watched people include God in their beginning and in the in-between of life, only to forsake Him in their ending. You will regret forsaking God in the end. Your ending is how people will remember you. Don't let your ending ruin a whole life of good because you forsook God at the end.

God is the beginning, ending and the in-between. If you want everything in your life to be good, then you need to include God in every stage of life. Don't let one part of your life become a bad story. If you will keep God in every stage of your life, then you will find a great story when it is all over. If you find one part of your life is not good because you didn't include God, then begin now to include Him. God can still make a good story out of your life if you will allow Him to work in your life. Wherever you are in your life, let God be a part of it.

Spicing up your Faith

Spicing Up Your Faith

2 Peter 1:5

"And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge;"

Have you ever tasted something that seemed to be bland and thought to yourself that the cook needed to spice up the flavor by adding some trimmings to it? When my wife cooks a meal, she will often add spices to the food to help the food taste a little better. The food alone is good, but adding to the food makes it more palatable. God said that Christians need to spice up their faith by adding to it. In other words, faith by itself can be bland, but adding to your faith will make it palatable for yourself and those whom you try to influence or win to Christ. Let me show God's spices that He wants you to use to add flavor to your faith.

First, add the spice of virtue to your faith. Virtue is excellence. In other words, God wants Christians to strive for excellence in all that they do for Him. A faith that simply tries to get by is a faith that is bland to you and those whom you are around. Don't just try to do your best when you do things for God, but strive for excellence. Excellence always makes a person's faith more palatable.

Second, add the spice of knowledge to your faith. Ignorance is no excuse for a Christian. Every Christian should strive to become more knowledgeable about the Word of God. A Christian who only does things because someone tells them to, is a Christian whose faith is very bland. On the other hand, a Christian who can back up their faith because of their knowledge of the Scriptures is a Christian whose faith has flavor. The more knowledgeable you are of God and life, the more flavor you will add to your faith.

Third, add the spice of temperance to your faith. A Christian who has no self-control is a Christian whose faith is not worthy of tasting. Christians needs to control their temper. Christians need to control their emotions. Christians need to control their physical appetites. A person who practices temperance is a person who is in complete control of their being. When people see a Christian who is in control of themselves, then their faith is more flavorful because they will want to be the same way.

Fourth, add the spice of patience to your faith. Patience is not an easy thing to have at all times, but you must learn to be patient with people and with God. A faith without patience is a faith that will make wrong decisions. Let patience make your faith more tasteful.

Fifth, add the spice of godliness to your faith. Strive to be more like God in all that you do. The more godliness you add to your faith, the more balance you add to your faith. When people see that you act like God, then they will want a taste of your faith.

Sixth, add the spice of kindness to your faith. Anybody can be kind. You don't have to be a jerk to be a Christian. A Christian who is kind to people is a Christian who will cause others to want to be around them. Be kind to everybody, for you never know what they are going through in their life.

Last, add the spice of love to your faith. Love is the garnish that will cause all these other spices to taste better. Love people when they are unloveable. Love people when others forsake them. Love people for who they are and not for what they can do for you.

Let me ask you, is your faith bland? Do people see your faith and want it because it seems palatable to them? Don't just add one of these spices to the recipe of your Christian life, but add all of them. A Christian life that has added all of these spices to it will be a life that will give the taste to others that Christ wants them to have.

What could have been

What Could Have Been

Deuteronomy 34:1

"And Moses went up from the plains of Moab unto the mountain of Nebo, to the top of Pisgah, that is over against Jericho. And the LORD shewed him all the land of Gilead, unto Dan,"

One of the saddest stories that I find in the Scriptures is the end of Moses' life. It says that Moses went to the top of Pisgah to see the Promised Land, but was not able to enter because of one sin that he committed. Imagine, one sin kept him from experiencing his life's dream. How unfair it seems that Moses was not able to enjoy the fruits of his labor because of one sin, but sin isn't fair and it always carries unfair consequences with it.

One of the greatest consequences of sin is that you can see what could have been yours. When Moses was on the top of Pisgah, he was able to see what could have been his, but one moment of sin ruined his opportunity to possess it Now the only pleasure he received was that he saw what could have been his.

Christian, you must not allow this to be your story. The one thing that sin's invitation never tells you about is the regrets that you will live with for the rest of your life. You will live with the regret of what you could have had. You will live with the wonder of, "What if...?" Is one moment of sin's pleasure worth living the rest of your life wondering what could have been? I promise you, the regret of what could have been yours far outweighs the pleasure of one moment of sin.

Look at Esau and the regret he lived with for the rest of his life. For one bowl of pottage he lived the rest of his life wondering about what could have been. Saul lived with the regret of wondering what could have been if only he had killed King Agag. Samson lived with the regret of what could have been as he ground meal in the dungeon with the animals. Adam and Even lived their whole lives wondering what could have been if only they had not ate of the forbidden fruit. Judas Iscariot is living the rest of his eternity in Hell wondering what could have been had he accepted Christ as his Saviour. These stories go on and on, and the regret of what could have been is always greater than the pleasure of sin.

So, you think one night of pleasure is worth losing your family and maybe your career? So, you think one moment of pleasure is worth losing your purity? So, you think one moment of disobedience to God's command is worth living with the regrets of what could have been yours?

This world is full of people who are living a life of regret wondering what could have been theirs. Preachers who fell into sin are wondering what could have been. Adults who were unfaithful to their spouse are wondering what could have been had they stayed faithful. People who let money lure them away from God's will wonder what could have been. People who allowed one friend to pull them away from doing what was right are wondering what could have been. Before you decide to enjoy one moment of sin, you would be wise to look at those who live with the regret of what could have been. Don't let this be your story. Don't live the rest of your life with the regret of wondering what could have been if you had not decided to listen to sin's invitation. Sin will always leave you wondering what could have been.

Tools

Tools or Museums

Deuteronomy 20:6

"And what man is he that hath planted a vineyard, and hath not yet eaten of it? let him also go and return unto his house, lest he die in the battle, and another man eat of it."

Not far from where I live are several museums where people come to take vacations and see the artifacts or handiwork of people. The artifacts or handiworks inside these museums are not there for people to use, but they are there for people to look at. In all reality, the objects inside the museums are worthless for they are not being used. On the other hand, in my garage I have two toolboxes that are full of tools. These tools are used to help fix things and make things better. The tools help me make my quality of life much better. If I had to choose between having tools or visiting a museum, I would choose tools every time because they can be used.

In the verse above, God gave a command to Israel that when they went to war they were three categories of people who were to stay home and enjoy what they have. A man who built his house and did not have time to dedicate it was to stay home from the war so he could enjoy his house. A man who planted a vineyard and had not enjoyed the fruit of the vineyard was to stay home from the war so he could taste of its fruits. A man who married a wife and had not been married for a year was to stay home and enjoy his wife. Each of these represent three areas of our lives: investments, possessions and relationships. God was teaching us a truth in these verses that these areas are not to be museums, but they are to be tools that we use for enjoyment. In other words, God doesn't give us what we have to look at like its a museum, but God gives us what we have to use, enjoy and to serve Him.

Don't let your relationships be nothing more than a museum. For instance, you are not married just to say you are married. There are too many marital relationships where the couple literally exist with each other. They don't enjoy each others presence for they are never together. They don't do things together for they are too busy doing everything else to enjoy the person to whom they are married. This could also be said about the parent/child relationship. There are many parents who never enjoy the child God gave them. Their child lives in their home, but the parents are never there to enjoy the gift God has given them. Be careful that you don't treat your relationships like museums. That is the quickest way to lose your relationships. Enjoy the people in your relationships by spending time with them.

Furthermore, don't treat your possessions like museums. You home should be a tool to use and not a museum that is never used. What I am talking about is your home can be used to be hospitable to people, or you can make it a museum where no one comes to visit because you are afraid its not clean enough or you simply don't want "other" people in your home. Every possession you have should be a tool you use to serve God. I'm not promoting not taking care of what you have, but I am promoting using your possessions to enjoy life on this Earth.

Moreover, don't let your investments become museums. The purpose of investments is to have something to help you enjoy life when you become older. You can let your money sit in the bank or investment account to tell everybody how much money you have, but that money is worthless in such a state. Don't spend foolishly, but also don't be so stingy and tight that you can't enjoy life because you've made your investments a museum.

If you treat what you have as a museum, then you will lose it. The objects inside a museum are worthless and can never be used again; however, the tools in a toolbox may be a little dirty, but they are used all the time. Simply put, enjoy the relationships, possessions and investments that God has given you and use them as tools to help you better serve Him.