Today is a Day of Expectation

Today is a Day of Expectation

This week is spring break for our state. The colleges and the public schools have learned to work together so that everyone is vacationing at the same time. Although the weather is hinting at chilly and rainy it’s got a lot of promise. Having an entire week off is great for both teachers and students. Parents have to juggle schedules and plan ahead to enjoy it but all in all it is a week everyone looks forward to. Great expectations are in a few days of having a different schedule than normal.

Not everyone will take beach trips or travel anywhere, but with a little planning the expectations of no school or work can be realized.  Imagine having to stay in town for the week. Many are doing just that. Not much expectation or excitement in same old same old. But just down the road, within 50 miles of us are several state parks, an Indian artifacts dig, a diamond mine, hiking trails, and more. Anyone can stay home and enjoy every single day. Kind of depends on your expectations. Plan to enjoy and you will. Plan to receive a great opportunity for fun and it will happen.  You can just stay home and enjoy your yard, your house, have the kids ride bikes, read books or tell family stories. Whatever you do, expect and plan to have a great time. It can happen – memories can be made that will take you into your future.

Our life in Christ is a lot like spring break. We look for something wonderful to happen but we don’t often plan on it. Preparation has a lot to do with enjoying our walk with God.  Reading the Bible is no ordinary read. Not a novel or a sonnet or a book of poetry. It’s God breathed. We can expect things to happen when we read the Word. We should expectantly prepare to be challenged in our walk, changed in our thinking and strengthened in our hearts. The believer who reads God’s Word is actually letting God breathe His Spirit written words into their inner man.

God speaks to my heart: You see your life as pretty ordinary. I see it as extraordinary. Every day I want you to live in expectation of something from Me.  I am ready, willing and able. In fact I have already taken great measures to ensure that your life is far from ordinary. Not just at spring break but every single day. When you wake up in the morning I AM there. When you lay your head on your pillow I AM there. When you feel the nausea of sorrow I AM with you. When you wonder what you are going to do today I AM already formulating a plan of expectation for your day that is beyond your wildest dreams. I wish to speak into your life. I wish to take you out of the ordinary and make your day extraordinary. I have plans for you – to live able the level of mundane. My plans are beyond your greatest vacation adventure. In fact where you go I AM there. Sometimes I AM cheering you on. Other times I AM interceding for you. In Christ, I have the greatest day of expectation for you and that day is today.

Oh beloved, you don’t have to wait for a better day. You don’t have to hope that you can get away someday. You don’t have to live locked into ordinary. Jesus has done too much for you to be unbelieving or to live below the level of all that He died to purchase for you. Expect great things! Expect today to be different . Yes, there are hardships, yes there are hurdles, yes, things do go wrong. But God is with you – to walk it out and overcome each and every thing you encounter. Expect Him to speak to your heart. Expect Him to call you to a higher level. Expect Him to take your weakest points and make them strong in His power. Today is your day to expect God to speak, Christ to help, The Spirit to encourage and the day to be beautiful in Him.

God loves you and He’s for you so expectation is your life breath. Ordinary to extraordinary without leaving your house when you open His Love Story, seek His face and change your heart attitude. Rejoice and see what God will do all for you, all for love as you live expecting and worship Him in Spirit and Truth every day of the week.

Psalm 119:131 I pant with expectation, longing for your commands.

I Peter 1:3 All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is by his great mercy that we have been born again, because God raised Jesus Christ from the dead. Now we live with great expectation!

James 2:23 And so it happened just as the Scriptures say: “Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith.” He was even called the friend of God.

Psalm 43:4 Then I will go to the altar of God, To God my exceeding joy; And upon the lyre I shall praise You, O God, my God.

Psalm 89:15 Happy are those who hear the joyful call to worship for they shall live in the Light of Your Presence, O Lord.

Ephesians 3:19-21 [That you may really come] to know [practically, [e]through experience for yourselves] the love of Christ, which far surpasses mere knowledge [without experience]; that you may be filled [through all your being] unto all the fullness of God [may have the richest measure of the divine Presence, and become a body wholly filled and flooded with God Himself]!  Now to Him Who, by (in consequence of) the [action of His] power that is at work within us, is able to [carry out His purpose and] do superabundantly, far over and above all that we [dare] ask or think [infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts, hopes, or dreams]— To Him be glory…

God Will Birth His Plan in You

Danny’s cousin in California is expecting a grandchild any day now. The due date has passed so it won’t be much longer. The expectations of this child, a girl, are great. Everything is just right, as with all first babies, and all they are doing now is standing by in anticipation. This is their first grandchild by their only daughter. So they are holding their breath every time the phone rings.

Although their daughter has to go through the birth process, they are full of anticipation of the wonder of holding a newborn baby in their arms. The nine months of preparation followed by the few hours of concentration will bring forth a wonderful gift. As great as the 9 months may have been, the birth process cannot be avoided. It’s just part of it.

We know God has a plan for our life. We live in anticipation of the realization of plans too wonderful for us to imagine. We give our life to Jesus and then we expect things to go well. Too often though, expectation and anticipation give way to worry and fear. We knew we wanted God to birth a plan in our hearts, but we didn’t know it might hurt. We think “hey I’ve given my heart to Jesus, He will give me something good to do and life will be just right”.

We want a neat and tidy life. We don’t want birth pangs. We don’t want the reality of our walk with Christ to go past our expected due date. We definitely don’t want hard situations and yet God even uses these circumstances to grow our faith.

Oh beloved, whatever you are going through today, God has already been there. He’s doing behind the scenes prep work and He’s clearing the way for your life to be a beautiful birth of His wonderful love. It may be really rough right now, as you weren’t expecting what’s happening. But God is with you. Your life is meant to be a shining example of His glory and grace.  When you go through the growing pains of faith, your ultimate outcome is beautiful. It’s worth it. Don’t give up in the middle of it all, for there is a wonderful reward awaiting you. And what a blessing it is that you don’t have to go through it alone. Always present, always leading, always teaching, always holding you safe in His arms – God is there with you. He will see you through. He has promised to be with you all the days of your life and on that you can rely. Hard times won’t last forever, so hold on and talk to the Father often. He will soothe your weary brow, He will speak His love Words over your situation and together you will make it.

Whatever it is, God is here.And he will birth the plan of God in you to its complete fulfillment.   He loves you and He’s for you and that’s all that really matters as you trust Him to make your life beautiful and your faith grow as you live in the light of His Word.

Romans 5: 1-5 Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,  through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we exult in hope of the glory of God.  And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance;  and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope;  and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

Philemon 1:6 and I pray that the fellowship of your faith may become effective through the knowledge of every good thing which is in you for Christ’s sake.

1 Peter 1:7 so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ

Colossians 2:6-7 Therefore as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, having been firmly rooted and now being built up in Him and established in your faith, just as you were instructed, and overflowing with gratitude.

Romans 8:28 And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.

Psalm 16:8 I know the Lord is always with me. I will not be shaken, for He is right beside me.

An Engraved Invitation to an Elaborate Life!

I really do enjoy cooking. I just don’t have much time or need for those old time elaborate meals anymore. Danny and I are on the road a lot and when we’re home we enjoy simple fare or picking up a salad or such from a local eatery.  It doesn’t take so much to fill us up anymore.

Elaborate meals require elaborate planning, elaborate menus and elaborate recipes. You can’t have elaborate without the planning. You can ask my kids, I can throw together an awesome pot of spaghetti, but it’s not elaborate. It’s quick and it’s good, but it’s just a pot of spaghetti. On the other hand, my father, who was a true chef, worked all day to make homemade meatballs, homemade spaghetti sauce and just right pasta. He served it just so – spaghetti noodles covered with the meatballs and then sauce. Never, never would he whip up a pot of it all thrown together! His meal was elaborate!

God has given us an elaborate life! He wants us to feast with Him from His sumptuous table of blessings. He wants us to taste every dainty morsel of His Word and live in the Truth of all of His Word! This elaborate life was planned well before the foundation of the world! Your name was on the engraved invitation before He even went to the cross. Everything about your life in Christ has been planned elaborately!

In order for you and I to enjoy this wonderful life in Christ we must plan elaborately as well. The walk of faith is no thrown together at the last minute event. It’s a day in and day out work of art. We must plan our life so that Christ gets first place.  Without planning we will be throwing together something much less than we were meant to enjoy and we will be feasting on dry crumbs rather than hearty banquets. God’s Word is not fast food! Oh you can go pick a taste up somewhere, but in order to have that elaborate life in Christ, you have to spend time with the Head Chef, and let Him slow you down as you take time to ingest the menu of the Word and read the recipes for a blessed life for yourself! No one else can prepare an elaborate life for you other than Christ Himself!

Have you been running here and there doing good things, having great fun and being busy, busy busy? Are you stopping to pick up an occasional bite on Wednesday evening or Sunday morning? Maybe you just drive through the local channels and try to get a bite to eat. Do you take little tastes and throw your faith meal together at convenient moments? Maybe you’re finding that your heart, mind and spirit are feeling sluggish and drained. You’re wondering why you feel so down, disheartened, lonely, fearful, and malnourished!

Oh beloved, make a dinner date right now! Stop in at the Lord’s Banquet Table and really feast on His Word! You may think you don’t have time, but God says if you will stop and let Him feed you the Elaborate Manna of His Word you will be blessed beyond measure – you will find new strength and fresh hope for the days ahead. Not only will you be ready for what comes in the future, you will be refreshed for the present time! He is calling you to His Banquet Table and He’s speaking to your heart – Don’t stress over the time you don’t have, but let Me seat you at My Table so that you will feel My Presence! Then you will be able to take My Presence with you! Every feast I desire to serve you is elaborate and you will have to plan your time with Me! I will be your nourishment, your refreshment and your way of blessing! I AM that I AM and absolutely no one else in all the earth will give you what I AM for you!

Stop a moment and come and dine! Feast, don’t nibble, on His Word and watch as your life flourishes and your ministry to others flourishes as well! His plans for you will be even more elaborate because He loves you and He’s for you and that’s worth taking the time!

Jeremiah 15:16 When I discovered your words, I devoured them. They are my joy and my heart's delight, for I bear your name, O LORD God of Heaven's Armies.

Joshua 1:8 Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do.

John 6:35 Jesus replied, "I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to Me will never be hungry again. Whoever believes in Me will never be thirsty.” (NAS)

John 4:14 But those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again. It becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life.

God Wants to Reveal His Plan to You

Loretta Young has always been one of my favorite actresses. During the holidays Danny and I watched Come to the Stable, a movie about two French nuns who come to a small American town and involve the townsfolk in helping them to build a children's hospital.

They had a mandate given to them from God. As they began working God’s plan, they weren’t exactly welcomed everywhere they went. They were told by people, including their leaders, that it couldn’t be done. Some of the people they met along the way worked hard to stop them. But they kept going forward because they felt that was where God wanted the hospital to be. They even made people mad!  They were accused of working against people, yet all the while they were just getting orders from the Lord and expecting Him to work it out. They continued working towards the goal, never letting resentment or animosity work into their system. They never let anyone’s doomsday predictions become their focus. They just kept smiling and kept expecting God to honor His plan.  

As the deadline approached it looked like their plans weren’t going to be finished, they were told they would be relieved of their duties and sent home.  They did not retaliate, fuss, fume, insist or manipulate.  They just prayed and kept trusting God.   Guess what? God honored their fidelity and commitment and the Children’s Hospital became a reality. God used two women who were not considered to be important at all but because of their prayer life and their expectations that God would answer they fulfilled their calling. 

Oh beloved, perhaps you’re thinking, “That’s just a movie”. But God wants to reveal His plan to you!  He has a marvelous plan for your life and even if it seems small to you, His plan is out of this world! He has promised to work through your faithfulness in the face of mocking, despair, antagonism and more. He promises to work around your hurts, your brick walls and your foes.  Maybe you’re in the middle of His plan and like the nuns, you’ve run into obstacles.  Don’t walk away now! Don’t quit! Don’t throw up your hands! For God Himself is with you!  You may consider yourself to be insignificant, restricted, unable or more, but God’s plan transcends your mortal weaknesses. 

Run to the Lord this morning and seek His face, for surely He is calling you and surely He is able to perform that call all the way to its completion! He loves you and He’s on your side to work and to will His plans on your behalf for the Gospel and for your blessing.  Just pray and hang on, for what God says He will perform and that’s all that really matters!

Proverbs 16:9 We can make our plans, but the LORD determines our steps.

Psalm 37:23 If the LORD delights in a man's way, He makes his steps firm (NIV)

Psalm 90:17 And may the Lord our God show us His approval and make our efforts successful. Yes, make our efforts successful!