What Are You Expecting?
Hey Friends,
Pastor Ryan here again. It’s Wednesday, March 18th and this is another edition of The Ridgeline Daily Feed. So why don’t you find a quiet place and a comfortable position to sit in. Let’s quiet our hearts and minds to meet with God together for just a few minutes. Take a couple deep, calming breathes, in through your nose and out through your mouth.
Now let’s pray:
Father, we have no way of knowing what today, much less tomorrow holds. So we take great comfort in knowing that you do. Would you still our hearts now and help us hear from you. In Jesus name, Amen.
This morning I want to read to you from Romans 8:15-17. Listen to the Word of God through the Apostle Paul. He writes:
“This resurrection life you received from God is not a timid, grave-tending life. It’s adventurously expectant, greeting God with a childlike “What’s next, Papa?” God’s Spirit touches our spirits and confirms who we really are. We know who he is, and we know who we are: Father and children. And we know we are going to get what’s coming to us—an unbelievable inheritance! We go through exactly what Christ goes through. If we go through the hard times with him, then we’re certainly going to go through the good times with him!”
Paul is describing the practical experience of what he calls the “resurrection life.” Now, if you’re exploring Christianity, or newer to faith, the resurrection life is the life we were meant for and Jesus gives to us through faith in Him. It’s critical we allow this description to shape our expectations of life with God because our expectations have a way of informing our experience.
This resurrection life isn’t just a someday thing, it’s a right now thing according to Paul. I could pull out a longer list, but let’s just focus our attention on three gifts of this resurrection life:
Resurrection life gives us access to a perfect Father.
Paul says, “We know who he is, and we know who we are: Father and children.” None of us has, or had a perfect dad. While a strained, or even terrible relationship with an earthly father is tragic, what’s worse is allowing that imperfect relationship to color, or taint who we perceive God to be. Paul reminds us that God is our good Father and we are His children. That means at very least that we can and should run to Him in times of trouble. Resurrection life gives us access to a perfect Father.
Resurrection life allows us to wake with expectation.
I love this line: “This resurrection life you received from God is not a timid, grave-tending life. It’s adventurously expectant, greeting God with a childlike ‘What’s next, Papa?’” Saturday mornings especially, at least one of my kids is certain to wake up, bound down the stairs and excitedly ask, “Daddy, what are we doing today?” They don’t know what the day holds, but they have an expectation that it will hold some adventure. The same thing should be true of relationship with God. Even if you’re reading this and feeling like a prisoner in your own home right now, God wants to do something deep in you and through you today. Do you expect that? Resurrection life allows us to wake with expectation.
Resurrection life promises us a better future.
Paul says, “If we go through the hard times with him, then we’re certainly going to go through the good times with him!” One of the things I don’t love about myself is that I can be a bit of a cynic. For instance, it bugs when I hear people flippantly say things like, “The best is yet to come!” It bugs me because sometimes it’s spoken like some sort of spell meant to bring a better tomorrow. But the truth is, sometimes tomorrow is harder than today and I don’t care how hard you wish, or how many times you chant “the best is yet to come,” it won’t change the fact that you and I do have hard days ahead. If that sounds pessimistic stay with me. While we may not be promised that tomorrow will be easier, or more comfortable than today, we ARE promised that if we follow Jesus through the hard days, a day will come when all the hardship ends. One day Jesus will put everything right that has gone so wrong in this world. When He does, even our darkest days now will be eclipsed against the backdrop of eternity.
Your expectations have a way of informing your experience. If you’re a follower of Jesus, you can expect access to a perfect Father, you can wake with expectation that God wants to do something deep in and through you each day and you have the promise of a better future.
I pray that encourages you today. Let’s pray:
Father, we come to you as dependent and need children today. We can’t control very much, but you control everything. So we thank you for inviting us into relationship with you. Help us to expect you to do a deep work in and through us. Help us to have a certain hope in a better future. We love you and need you. Amen.