Expect Great Things

As a child I learned to love my birthday and Christmas because I got so many good gifts. I learned to expect great things! I still love opening presents but thankfully I love to give presents more! I also find that during my birthday or Christmas there are so many more things that I am hoping for other than gifts. As new year's approached this year, I heard all about resolutions I thought about mine. I decided I would continue what I had been doing the past six months. Expecting great things!

God loves us so much that He does not want us to be burdened or stressed. Matthew 6: 25-34, "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." This should be all we need to know that God will give us all we need. And so much more.

Notice we are told, "but seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well." Remember, we have to watch for the "but's" and "therefore's"! We have to seek God first. We are also told in Psalm 27: 8, "My heart says of you, 'Seek his face! Your face, Lord, I will seek.'" Again, we are told to seek God first.

When we choose to worry and be stressed out we are disobeying God. 1 Peter 5: 6-7, "Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you." There is "therefore". We have to humble ourselves so that God can lift us up! When I expect great things, I am being open to God, to receive. I am being expectant when I pray. Romans 12: 12, "Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer." We are to be hopeful - expecting great things!

As a Christian, we need to have positive expectations instead of negative ones. Our approach to life should be full of faith and hope which includes great expectations. The Bible says without faith it is impossible to please God. Hebrews 11: 6, "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." Do you really believe that God can give you the desires of your heart? Having hope will never disappoint. Romans 5: 5, "And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us."

Expect great things!