Greater Expectations

The more I look at our culture and compare it to what I see in the Bible, I am amazed to see how low our expectations have fallen. Let me explain: All too often, we settle for a weak Christianity. We underestimate God's power and His plans. We take it for granted. We forget verses like 2 Corinthians 2:9, "But as it is written in the Scriptures: 'No one has ever seen this, and no one has ever heard about it. No one has ever imagined what God has prepared for those who love him." (NCV)

Why do we settle for less in our relationship with God. We read of men of the faith like Paul, and Timothy, and Peter, and we assume that we could never be like them, that we could never have faith like them. We have been deceived.

God desires so much more for us, as I have begun to discover. He is in control, and if we give Him everything, He can do so much more in our lives than we can imagine. The problem is , our expectations are too low; we don't have faith.

One of my favorite chapters in the Bible is Hebrews 11. In it we find great examples of people of faith, and how God used them in ways they could not imagine. I encourage you to read it some time. Every time I read it, I am amazed by the faith of the people described in it. And, in Hebrews 11:6, we find a challenge to faith: "And without faith, it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists, and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him." (NIV) All these people dared to seek Him wholeheartedly, to pursue Him, please Him. And they are remembered for their faith. How many of us can claim that?

It is by faith that we can be able to please God. However, we must remember that "Faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead." (James 2:17 , NIV). Those are some pretty strong words! We must live out our Faith daily. What is Faith? The start of Hebrews 11 nails it pretty good! "Faith means being sure of what we hope for and knowing that something is real, even if we do not see it." (NCV)

So what does this have to do with my title, "Greater Expectations"? Simply, that we would dare to grow in our Faith; giving everything to God, and trusting Him in everything. He says, "For I know the plans I have for you...plans to give you a hope and a future." (Jeremiah 29:11, NIV) I believe that we can experience life and what God has for us on an incredible level.

I love the stories of men of Faith, like George Mueller. He had an incredible faith in God, and God provided his every need for the orphanage he ran. And it doesn't need to stop just with needs. Take marriage, for instance. It seems to be a given that every marriage will have problems and both partners will fall in and out of love with each other. We assume that marriage, while nice, can never be anywhere perfect. Even though we all have dreams of a "perfect" marriage and "happily ever after", we all all assume that none of us can ever touch it.

While I agree that it is true that no marriage is prefect, just as every person is not perfect, I believe that marriage could be better than what any of us expect or imagine. Call me an unrealistic idealist, but I think that we don't give God enough credit. If He can transform us through Christ, make us new creations, can He not make it possible to have a better marriage?

I know I can't claim to have any authority to teach on marriage, but I believe that marriage can be better. How? Agape love, and a firm foundation in Christ. No, not " a grape" love, but "agape"; which is Greek for "unconditional love." I have faith that through Christ, I can unconditionally love my future wife, and that with Christ in the center always, that my future marriage will continue to grow, and be a thing of beauty. Call me crazy, but I think that only through Christ, can this happen, and I have unwavering faith that it will happen.

It doesn't have to just be marriage. We need to submit everything to God; have unwavering faith in Him. This part of being a warrior poet; faith that God will use you as he sees fit and that He knows what is best for you. I dare you to take a step of faith and dare to have greater expectations in your walk with Christ, and in everything.

For Christ's Glory!