Expectations

Expectations are tricky and they usually lead to discontentment.

This ministry goes against all of my expectation, God has basically thrown them out. As a practical person this can put me on the edge because literary nothing makes sense. A woman who has never met me, hands my mom a check for $500 after she heard about what I was doing. The next day, a woman who I expected to be a high monthly donor, who has known me for 10 years, gives me 100 dollar bill. Its so hard to resist being angry, sad, let down, but my expectation was not based on truth. It was based on a assumption. It is what I assumed. I assume a stranger would be unwilling to give and I assume someone who knows and respects me will give a lot. For my practical, logical mind these equations make sense. I want to trust God wholeheartedly, but how do I give up the expectation that I place on people and on God. How can I be thankful for 100 dollar gift instead gripping about what I thought the amount would be? These are things I do not understand, but one thing I do understand is that God' will and my expectations do not seem to match. My deep desires seem to match God, but the means of getting there, do not.

I will continue to wrestle with this.

And after writing this I read this

Can a Saint Falsely Accuse God?

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Apr

20

2012

All the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen . . . —2 Corinthians 1:20

Jesus’ parable of the talents recorded in Matthew 25:14-30  was a warning that it is possible for us to misjudge our capacities. This parable has nothing to do with natural gifts and abilities, but relates to the gift of the Holy Spirit as He was first given at Pentecost. We must never measure our spiritual capacity on the basis of our education or our intellect; our capacity in spiritual things is measured on the basis of the promises of God. If we get less than God wants us to have, we will falsely accuse Him as the servant falsely accused his master when he said, “You expect more of me than you gave me the power to do. You demand too much of me, and I cannot stand true to you here where you have placed me.” When it is a question of God’s Almighty Spirit, never say, “I can’t.” Never allow the limitation of your own natural ability to enter into the matter. If we have received the Holy Spirit, God expects the work of the Holy Spirit to be exhibited in us.

The servant justified himself, while condemning his lord on every point, as if to say, “Your demand on me is way out of proportion to what you gave to me.” Have we been falsely accusing God by daring to worry after He has said, “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you”? (Matthew 6:33). Worrying means exactly what this servant implied— “I know your intent is to leave me unprotected and vulnerable.” A person who is lazy in the natural realm is always critical, saying, “I haven’t had a decent chance,” and someone who is lazy in the spiritual realm is critical of God. Lazy people always strike out at others in an independent way.

Never forget that our capacity and capability in spiritual matters is measured by, and based on, the promises of God. Is God able to fulfill His promises? Our answer depends on whether or not we have received the Holy Spirit.