Dear Ones,
Hope you have an expectant day! Today is Donut Day here and Bible study and hope to get in baking and a nice walk in this beautiful weather.
Devotions from Judy’s heart
We all have expectations of ourselves, others and of God. Expectations are important: they may be limiting or enhancing for what God has planned for our lives. Scripture gives us reasons to have great expectations from the Lord, and we need to take to heart what He says we can anticipate. Our own limited expectations influence how we look at the events in our lives and we can miss what God has for us.
When we were at our son’s church in North Carolina on Easter Sunday the pastor gave a thought-provoking sermon on “Expecting the Unexpected” from Matt 27- 28. He used the example of the Pharisees who expected that Jesus was an impostor and that his body would be stolen, so they wanted guards at the tomb. They did not anticipate a resurrection to take place, even though they may have seen his healing miracles like Lazarus being raised from the dead. Pilate believed his guards could stop a resurrection! Even the disciples failed to remember that Jesus would actually be raised from the dead. But perhaps one of the most astounding pieces of evidence for His resurrection is the change in his disciples after Jesus arose. They were no longer men who doubted and often failed to understand what Jesus said, but became powerful preachers, healers, miracle workers who were willing to endure persecution. We would say they were radically changed!
If we are Christ followers then we can expect that Jesus means what He says. He wants for us to be in a living relationship with Him, knowing that we are His beloved children who can be used for His kingdom work. When we go to church He desires that we come with the expectancy to hear and pay attention to what He has to say. When we have our devotions, He wants us to know He is speaking personally into our lives. He spoke long ago but also speaks to us now, today. Do we really have that expectation?  May we say with John as written in I John 4:16, “So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in Him.”
Challenge for today: Ask the Lord to have expectant faith and to believe His words to your heart.
Blessings on your day and prayers and love, Judy