Unmet Expectations

God with you - A Series from the Psalms

Psalm 77 

(Use the link below to read the verses.)

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm%2077&version=NIV;NLT

 

Unmet expectations! Everybody has them. It might be as small as your expectation of another driver to not cut you off. Or it could be as big as the expectations of a spouse not being fulfilled, resulting in a marriage breaking apart.

 

Whether they are the garden variety, daily living type of unmet expectation, or the earth shattering, life changing type; we all have them. The question is, how do you deal with them?

 

The psalmist had unmet expectations of God that hurt him deeply.

 

² When I was in deep trouble,
    I searched for the Lord.
All night long I prayed, with hands lifted toward heaven,
    but my soul was not comforted.            NLT

 

As a result of his unfulfilled attempts to connect with God, he asked some painful questions.

 

⁷ Has the Lord rejected me forever?
    Will he never again be kind to me?
⁸ Is his unfailing love gone forever?
    Have his promises permanently failed?
⁹ Has God forgotten to be gracious?
    Has he slammed the door on his compassion?          NLT

 

You may have asked yourself those same questions. However, the most important question to ask is, how did you respond? The psalmist reached the point of no return when something unexpected happened.

 

¹⁰ And I said, “This is my fate;
    the Most High has turned his hand against me.”
¹¹ But then I recall all you have done, O Lord;
    I remember your wonderful deeds of long ago.         NLT

 

The Psalmist goes on to recount how God miraculously brought the nation of Israel out of slavery in Egypt, into the freedom of the Promised Land. He brought them salvation. It is the same salvation that He offers to us; that is, to leave the land of slavery to sin for the Promised Land of freedom in Jesus.

 

Unmet expectations! Have yours led you to give up hope? Or do you keep reaching out to God? For He is faithful; He loves you with unfailing love; He is with you always and at work constantly. There is none other like Him. remember His wonderful deeds.

 

 

 

 

The Taste That’s Worth the Wait

A Series on the Milestones in Jesus’ Life

Mt 21:1-11

(Use the link below to read the verses.)

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew%2021%3A1-11&version=NIV;NLT

 

In the 1979 classic Heinz Ketchup commercial, two little boys complain about how slow the Ketchup comes out of the bottle onto their hamburger. As it does, the Carly Simon song, “Anticipation”, plays in the background. The final tag line is, “The taste that’s worth the wait”. (A link for the commercial is at the bottom of the page.)

 

Up until now, Jesus had always been reticent about proclaiming who he was; even to the point of telling others not to say anything about a miracle he performed, or being recognized as the Messiah. It wasn’t a matter of humility, but of timing. It hadn’t been the right time for him to claim his rightful place as the Son of David… until now. It was a milestone.

 

⁹ Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion!
    Shout, Daughter Jerusalem!
See, your king comes to you,
    righteous and victorious,
lowly and riding on a donkey,
    on a colt, the foal of a donkey.              Zechariah 9 NIV

 

By riding the donkey into Jerusalem, Jesus not only fulfilled the prophecy of Zechariah, but also made a powerful statement! He was claiming to be the king who would fulfill the promise of David’s reign! This only served to increase the anticipation of his arrival.

 

Other events leading up to Jesus’ ride into Jerusalem included raising Lazarus from the dead; the Pharisees planning to kill Jesus and Lazarus; Jesus and his disciples laying low in the countryside; and large crowds of Jews gathering in Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover. It was a chaotic time; and the anticipation was palpable.

 

Think of this Palm Sunday story as a metaphor. Jerusalem represents your life. Just like Jesus brought the Kingdom of God into Jerusalem, he brings the Kingdom of God into your life, every day.

 

He’s the Son of God, and can change your life. He can also use you to make a difference in the lives of others. Will Jesus ride into your life today as king? What are you anticipating for him to do?

 

 

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uoLoyg3JKRQ

 

 

 

 

Expectations

The Life of Jesus Series:

How Jesus interacted with others.

Mark 10:35-37; Mark 10:46-52

(Use the link below to read the verses.)

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Mark%2010%3A35-38%2CMark%2010%3A46-52&version=NIV;NLT

  

Expectations; we all have them. You expect certain things from your spouse, your children, your parents, your boss, your employees; even the guy driving down the highway next to you.

 

Individuals with a Type A personality have expectations that drive them to accomplish goals. Followers have expectations of their leader; and beggars have expectations of those with resources.

 

In verses 46-52, Bartimaeus called Jesus the “Son of David”. That title carried with it many expectations as witnessed by these prophesies.

 

⁵ “The days are coming,” declares the Lord,
    “when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch,
a King who will reign wisely
    and do what is just and right in the land.
⁶ In his days Judah will be saved
    and Israel will live in safety.
This is the name by which he will be called:
    The Lord Our Righteous Savior.         Jeremiah 23:5-6 NIV

 

²³ I will place over them one shepherd, my servant David, and he will tend them; he will tend them and be their shepherd. ²⁴ I the Lord will be their God, and my servant David will be prince among them. I the Lord have spoken.  Ezekiel 34:23-24 NIV

 

According to Mark 10:35-37, it would seem that James and John had expectations of Jesus to receive positions of prestige and power. No doubt they believed that the Son of David would bring Israel back to political prominence. Whereas, Bartimaeus expected healing in his life.

 

We’re no different from them in that we have our own expectations of Jesus. What are yours? At home; at work; at church; in your thought life? What do you expect from Jesus?

 

But the most important question is the one that Jesus asked both James and John as well as Bartimaeus: What do you want me to do for you?”  Across the centuries, he asks you the same question. How will you answer it?

 

 

 

 

 

Chance Meetings

Exodus 3:1-12a

 (Use the link below to read the verses.)

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Exodus%203%3A1-12&version=NIV;TLB

 

What were your expectations for 2016? Whatever they may have been, no doubt you had some things happen that you didn’t expect. For me, one such event was meeting Tim.

 

The week before Christmas, during my lunch hour when I was trying to get home for a quick visit, I noticed that my car wasn’t handling properly. Upon inspection, it was apparent that the left front tire was almost flat. I drove to a nearby gas station only to find out that their air pump was out of order.

 

Frustrated and angry, I attempted to change the tire. After some time with little success, and with my head buried in the trunk as I struggled to pull the jack out, someone asked, “Do you need some help”? It was Tim.

 

For me, it was like an angel had been sent. During the course of changing my tire, Tim told me that he was homeless, but that the Lord was with him. When he had finished the job, I insisted on paying him even though he declined at first.

 

That “chance meeting” with Tim was an unexpected opportunity, for him and for me, to

help someone in need and to share the love of Christ. It helped me to be aware that “chance meetings” aren’t always by chance. In fact, God is in control and He can bring someone into my life in any circumstance; even a flat tire.

When Moses went up on Horeb, the mountain of God, he wasn’t expecting to find a burning bush, let alone one that God would use to communicate through to him. Was this unexpected event a “chance meeting” with God? I don’t think so.

 

God called Moses to lead His people out of Egypt. Moses was God’s chosen leader for this job; an unwilling one, but the one God chose through this “chance meeting”. Despite all the excuses that Moses came up with, it all boiled down to this statement that God made:

“I will be with you”.

 

That’s an important lesson for you and me to learn and to remember during 2017. No matter what our expectations are, God will have some “chance meetings” planned for us. The questions is, will we be ready for them? Tim was.

 

 

 

 

 

(If God has spoken to you through this devotional, please feel free to share it with others.)

 

http://lifelinebasketball.blogspot.com/

 

 

 

Laundry and Letters

Deuteronomy 5:32-33, 6:4-9

 

Before I left for college my Mom showed me how to do my laundry. My Dad told me that he expected me to write a letter to them every week. I guess their expectations had been laid out for me: keep my clothes clean and write home often.

 

In today’s passage Moses laid out the Lord’s expectations for the Israelites. Israel had been wondering through the wilderness for forty years in preparation to go into the Promised Land. The time had finally arrived, only Moses would not be the one leading them. Therefore, he was giving them their final instructions; their final marching orders before they crossed the Jordan River.

 

Although these expectations came in the form of commandments, they were based in love, faith and grace. They were intended for the wellbeing of the Israelites. In fact, they were intended to help the people of Israel grow in their faith in the Lord.

 

^“Therefore you shall pay attention and be careful to do just as the Lord your God has commanded you; you shall not turn aside to the right or to the left [deviating from My commandments]. You shall walk [that is, live each and every day] in all the ways which the Lord your God has commanded you, so that you may live and so that it may be well with you, and that you may live long in the land which you will possess.”          5:32-33 AMP

 

^“Write these commandments that I’ve given you today on your hearts. Get them inside of you and then get them inside your children. Talk about them wherever
you are, sitting at home or walking in the street; talk about them from the time you get up in the morning to when you fall into bed at night.”   6:6-8 MSG

 

These same words could be repeated to us each and every day before we go out the door as we face the pressures and stress of work; the temptations of the Internet; a world system that rewards selfish behavior; unresolved anger and resentment; and any other character defects that we may struggle with.

 

On that day when I left for college the first time, I knew that I was expected to keep my clothes clean and write my parents every week. Those expectations had been clearly communicated to me.

 

God has clearly communicated to you and to me through Moses. In fact, with a slightly different application, it’s not all that different than my parent’s expectations. The Lord has told us to keep our “hearts clean and to communicate with Him often”.

 

In other words, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.”