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Our church has just started the Freedom in Christ course. At the first session during the group time, we were asked what expectations God has of us. It’s a question that has stuck with me. A few people gave some answers about obedience, faithfulness and alike. All good sentiments… that I disagreed with.I may be totally off base but I’m not sure God deals in terms of expectations. I don’t know that He expects anything of me or from me. I’m sure He has wants and desires for me, that He wants what is best for me, but does He expect it? I’m not so sure.
I think the trouble with expectations is what happens when you don’t meet them. How do we deal with that kind of failure and how does that fit with the idea of grace? Do expectations actually set us up to fail? I love it when Anna cooks my tea for me, but I don’t (whatever she might tell you) expect it. Ok since I brought marriage into it as an analogy, surely I expect Anna to love me, and all those other things she vowed 10 plus years ago. I guess I could expect that, I guess some would argue that was my right, but I have found that marriage works better when I give and give rather than give and take. Because invariably when take is on the table it usually becomes my focus.
If you push me I may say God expects one thing of us – to fail and thank Him that He’s already accounted for that.
What do you think?
Ebs and Flows... 
Steve said:
I suppose being accurate from one perspective it could be argued that God doesn’t function in terms of expectations, in that if God knows the beginning from the end, that doesn’t give any need to expect.
I think though, that God maybe chooses not to know some things that could be known when dealing with people. Why? Well God asks us questions. So if a being knows everything constantly this would be unnecessary. Yes, it’s possible that the questions are more for our benefit than God’s.
But then you have this in the account of the Abraham & Isaac story:
Genesis 22:12 NIV
“Do not lay a hand on the boy,” he said. “Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son.”
This is spoken by the ‘angel of the LORD’, commonly agreed to be God as he appears to people in the OT.
So God says ‘now I know’. I think that God does not act deceptively to people that God calls friends, so a statement like ‘now I know ____’ shows that God has chosen not to know something in advance but has instead chosen to discover what Abraham will become as Abraham discovers it about himself.
Personally I think that God gives us this space to become who we will become with freedom & without the feeling that our lives are already preset.
I also think that if I had to pin down one thing that God desires for us I would put it more like this – “God is much more interested in WHO I become than in what I achieve”.
I’m pretty sure that’s a quote from Dallas Willard, who is a huge influence on my thinking about God.
snowgood said:
Nick,
My guess would be “making disciples, and baptising people”.
You know, the western Church’s great omission.
That’s why he picked us to be in his family, to spread His own glorious name, rather than bask in the benefits.
Keep up the God work!
Stephen