~ As A Christian Are You Fulfilling
God’s Expectations? ~
God expects
His children to do many things. Here are six vital ones.
Grow
~ “We
are bound to thank God always for you, brethren, as it is fitting, because your
faith grows exceedingly, and the love
of every one of you all abounds toward each other, so that we ourselves boast
of you among the churches of God for your patience and faith in all your
persecutions and tribulations that you endure” (2 Thessalonians 1:3-4).
Go
~ “And
when He got into the boat, he who had been demon-possessed begged Him that he
might be with Him. However, Jesus did not permit him, but said to him, ‘Go home to your friends, and tell what great things the Lord has done
for you, and how He has had compassion on you.’ And he departed and began
to proclaim in Decapolis all that Jesus had done for him; and all marveled” (Mark 5:18-20).
Glow ~ “No
one, when he has lit a lamp, covers it with a vessel or puts it under a bed,
but sets it on a lamp stand, that those who enter may see the [glow of the] light” (Luke 8:16).
Sow
~ “And
He said to them, ‘Do you not understand this parable? How then will you
understand all the parables? The sower sows the Word. And these are
the ones by the wayside where the Word is sown. When they hear, Satan comes
immediately and takes away the Word that was sown in their hearts. These
likewise are the ones sown on stony ground who, when they hear the Word,
immediately receive it with gladness; and they have no root in themselves, and
so endure only for a time. Afterward, when tribulation or persecution arises
for the Word's sake, immediately they stumble. Now these are the ones sown
among thorns; they are the ones who hear the Word, and the cares of this world,
the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things entering in choke
the Word, and it becomes unfruitful. But these are the ones sown on good
ground, those who hear the Word, accept it, and bear fruit: some thirtyfold,
some sixty, and some a hundred” (Mark 4:13-20).
Show
~ “It is a good and delightful
thing to give thanks to the Lord, to sing praises [with musical accompaniment]
to Your name, O Most High, to show forth
Your loving-kindness in the morning and Your faithfulness by night” (Psalm 92:1-2, Amplified).
“After the same manner also He took the cup, when He had supped,
saying, ‘This cup is the new testament in My blood: this do ye, as often as ye
drink it, in remembrance of Me.’ For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink
this cup, ye do show the Lord's death
till He comes again” (1 Corinthians 11:25-26).
Know
~ “For instance, we know that when these bodies of ours are taken down like tents
and folded away, they will be replaced by resurrection bodies in heaven—God-made,
not handmade—and we'll never have to relocate our ‘tents’ again. Sometimes we
can hardly wait to move—and so we cry out in frustration. Compared to what's
coming, living conditions around here seem like a stopover in an unfurnished
shack, and we're tired of it! We've been given a glimpse of the real thing, our
true home, our resurrection bodies! The Spirit of God whets our appetite by
giving us a taste of what's ahead. He puts a little of heaven in our hearts so
that we'll never settle for less. That's why we live with such good cheer. You
won't see us drooping our heads or dragging our feet! Cramped conditions here
don't get us down. They only remind us of the spacious living conditions ahead.
It's what we trust in but don't yet see that keeps us going. Do you suppose a
few ruts in the road or rocks in the path are going to stop us? When the time
comes, we'll be plenty ready to exchange exile for homecoming” (2 Corinthians 5:1-8, The Message).
~ Robert Lloyd Russell, ABUNDANT LIFE NOW
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