Last week I began teaching Bible at Knoxville Christian School (KCS). On the first full day of class, I went over the class rules and expectations for this year as did most teachers. As a teacher, I have certain expectations which I expect the students to meet: be on time, come to class prepared, respect others. If the students meet my class expectations, I anticipate us having a great year.
As I was working on my list of class expectations, I began thinking: what does God expect of me? Does God have certain expectations for those of us who are Christians? I mean, if I have expectations for my students, then surely God has expectations for His children, right? Consider these passages from God’s holy and divine word.
Matthew 5:48 – Jesus expects us to be perfect in love as our Father God is! We cannot fully attain this kind of perfection in this life, for we are not perfect. However, Jesus set a high standard for us to follow. We should strive to be like our Father.
“You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”
Matthew 28:19-20 – Jesus expects us to go and teach others about His great love for them!
“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
Matthew 22:37-38 – Jesus expects us to love God and place Him before everything else in our lives!
“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment.”
Matthew 22:39-40 –Jesus expects us to love our neighbors in the same way that we love ourselves!
“You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.”
You see friends, just as you and I have expectations of others, God has expectations for His children. Too many times we dismiss the expectations of God because of our sinful nature. But let us remember, God’s expectations of us are always attainable. We should strive to meet them. If we do, we can anticipate a rewarding life. How are you doing at meeting the expectations of God?
Now that’s Something to Think About!