DO YOU KNOW
WHAT GOD EXPECTS
OF YOU?
The fool says in his heart,
“There is no God.” Psalm 14:1
What do you say in yours?
What does God expect from you?
Since God is the Creator of
the heavens and the earth and all creatures, He is the One who will judge us on
the last day. Answering this question
correctly is essential.
Notice, we’re not
asking what you or I think God expects from us.
Even if we would all agreed, such would only be our opinion—not the
opinion that matters most—God’s.
To answer this question, we
will need to look to the Bible. One of
the chief expectations placed upon us is gratitude. This is another word for thankfulness. Since God created us and provides all things
necessary for life, it is reasonable that He watches for our response. He expects us to be grateful. Thanksgiving is a common refrain of the
Psalms, “O give thanks to the Lord for He is good. I will bless the Lord at all times” (Psalm
136:1 Ps. 34:1).
The response of gratitude is
especially fitting in view of God’s gracious gift of Christ for salvation. As we “have all sinned and fall short of
the glory of God” (Romans
3:23), we deserve the eternal punishment of body and soul. However, God showed us mercy and sent His Son
to pay our debt and set us free. This is
the gospel. Faith believes one is a
recipient of this undeserved gift. “The
wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ”
(Romans 6:23).
Likely, we can agree that we
should be grateful to God for all He does.
What if you’re not thankful to Him for salvation or any-thing else for
that matter? Let’s look again to the
Bible. “The
wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness
of men….because although they knew God, they did not glorify him as God, nor
were they thankful” (Romans 1:18-21). NOTE: Ungratefulness warrants God’s wrath.
At another point the Apostle
Paul goes so far as to say, “in every-thing
give thanks; for this is the
will of God in Christ Jesus for you” (I Thessalonians 5:18). Gratitude is an essential virtue. It is a thermometer of our spiritual selves. It is difficult to impossible to be a genuine
Christian and not be grateful to God for His grace.
(Bold italics are quotations from New
King James Bible)
How does God expect you to show your thankfulness?
If we are serious about being
grateful to God, we will be serious in showing gratitude to Him. We will do this in at least two ways:
Obedience and Worship
Many think that being a
Christian means following a set of rules or belonging to a certain church. It’s important to distinguish between what a Christian
is and what a Christian does.
In short a Christian believes Jesus died on the cross for the
forgiveness of their sins. Do you
believe He did this for you? As the Bible says, “For by grace you have been saved
through faith…not of works, lest any man should boast” (Eph 2:8,9). We lay hold of
the benefits of Christ’s sacrifice by faith alone.
Our interest at this point is
on what Christians should do… on what God expects from you as a
Christian. On the top of this list is loving
obedience. You are called to “love
the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength”
(Deuteronomy 6:5, Mark 12:30). Mediocrity
and half-heartedness fall far short. He
expects our all and such must we give. Genuine
Christians will at least want to do this.
When we talk about loving God
we are not just talking about a feeling we have toward God or an attitude, but
rather a love that determines how we live.
Jesus speaks of this when he says, “if you love Me you
will keep My commandments” (John 14:15). He even warns His hearers, “Not
everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,' shall enter the
kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven”
(Matthew 7:21). If you’re not trying to do God’s will (what He commands) you
haven’t yet learned to love God as you ought.
Let’s go one step further. What does God expect from you now? Right thoughts and attitudes are good, but
obedience and worship are the goal.
Everyday we should thank God for his grace and the provisions He gives
to us. We should worship Him publicly and in private. This means reading our Bibles and
praying. Jesus said, “It
is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds
from the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4).
It means gathering with God’s people and worshiping on the Lord’s Day, “do
not
forsake the assembling of yourselves together, as is the manner of some, but
exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching”
(Hebrews 10:25). This is what God
expects from you.
?? DO YOU NEED
TO FEAR GOD BETTER ??
This tract touches upon our need to fear God better. Our culture has slid so far that today people
think they’re doing God a favor if they believe in him. Instead of fearing God and keeping His
commandments (the main purpose of our existence according to Ecclesiastes
12:13), people think mostly about themselves and how they might find greater happiness
and pleasure in life. Comparing
themselves with others, most people think they are pretty good and firmly
believe that if there is a God and a final judgment, He will accept them and
let them into heaven. And
THIS while they don’t do what He expects.
This is inconsistent….and dangerous.
They miss the big
picture. Life is not about us and/or our
own satisfaction. This is why so many
struggle with finding real purpose and meaning in life.
No God. à No Peace.
Know God. à Know Peace.
God created you in his image
and likeness in order to live in fellowship with Him. In what ways do you experience fellowship
with God? How do you show your gratitude
to Him? Do you worship the Lord
at home and at church? Are you doing
what He expects of you? Do you believe
what the Bible says?
Your answers show whether or
not you need to fear God better.
Do you have enough faith to do what God says? If not, pray to God and ask Him to give it to
you.
This article was written by Pastor Randy Klynsma of the Trinity
Presbyterian Church,