What God Expects From You
Ezra 2:69
"They gave after their ability unto the treasure of the work threescore and one thousand drams of gold, and five thousand pound of silver, and one hundred priests' garments."
One of the great attributes of God is that He does not expect more from us than what we can give. God understands our weaknesses. God understands that everybody can't give what somebody else can; therefore, He desires that you give to the best of your ability.
When Ezra described how the people gave to the treasury, he said that they "gave after their ability." You will notice that these people were not chided for not giving as someone else gave; rather, they were commended for giving to their ability. They didn't give less than they could give, and they were not expected to give more than they could give. God was simply pleased that they gave according to their ability.
When I played sports in high school, each player on the team had their strengths and weakness. As a team, if every player played to their ability, then we would give ourselves the best chance to win. However, if one player did not play to their ability, then that tremendously lessened our chance of winning. In order to win, it was necessary for every teammate to give their full effort.
Christian, God never expects more of you than what you can do. God understands how much you can give, and He expects you to give according to your ability. What you can give may not be as much as someone else can give, but if you will give according to your ability, then you will strengthen the cause of Christ. Anything less than your best is unacceptable.
It is important in a church that every member give according to their ability. Let me make this clear, though this verse is talking about financial giving, I am talking about giving of your effort. One of the reasons churches lack today is because many members do not give their best effort. You have a few members who give their best effort, but if a church is going to thrive every member must give to their ability. In every church you have elderly, middle-aged, and young people. Each age group has a different energy level. Yet, if each age group would give of their best, then the church would thrive. God does not expect more from you than you can give, but He does expect you to give to your ability.
Furthermore, parents need to be careful about expecting more from their children than what they can give. I am for you pushing your children to do more, but don't expect more from them than what they can give. One mistake many parents make is comparing one child to another. This is not fair, for no two children are alike, and neither do they have the same capabilities. What you should demand from your children is that they do according to their ability. Whether it is in their schoolwork or effort towards a project, only expect from them to give according to their ability.
Finally, every leader should only expect their followers to give according to their ability. Part of the responsibility of a leader is to know the ability of each follower, and then bring out of their followers the best. As a leader, only demand that your followers do their best. They may or may not succeed, but the standard is effort and not success. If everyone gives their effort to the best of their ability, then you give yourself the best chance to succeed.
All God expects from you is for you to give to your ability. Let me ask you, are you giving the best in every area? It doesn't matter if you are giving more than someone else, it only matters if you give according to your ability. Make your standard of living one that you give according to your ability. This will give you the best chance to succeed in every area of life.