What God Expects: of You & Me
“But He knows the way I take;
(The Book of Job 23: 10 NASB)
When He has tried me, I shall come forth as gold.”
Let us first state: Life is not always a bed of roses. Life often does not go the way we had hoped, and people we love do not always live or react as we think they should. Yes, before we even begin to see what God expects of His children, let us acknowledge that SOMETIMES, THIS LIFE ON EARTH IS JUST REALLY DIFFICULT!
When a life-struggle comes to us, how do we react?
- When a life-struggle suddenly ‘rears its ugly head,’ how we respond is seen by those watching.
- When a life-struggle comes like a storm upon our being, the lost, unsaved persons notice: Whether we curse & turn from God—OR—Whether we walk with God & continue to seek His will (even during the midst of a storm).
What does God expect of His child?
- Does God expect us to react as we once would have reacted when we were lost to Him?
OR
- Does God expect us to react as His child should, one whose eternity is secure, despite what this world holds?
Will you pause to read John 3: 16?Who are we to ever complain about our life-struggle?
GOD SENT HIS ONLY SON TO DIE UPON THE CROSS—so that we might come to know HIM and come to receive His free gift of salvation?!!!
- When we have walked through the ‘pruning’ of God, we “shall come forth as gold.”
- When our life is complete, whether we have lived a life of suffering or contentment, those who have received God’s Amazing Grace, His Gift of Salvation—shall walk upon streets of gold in His presence forevermore.
“My foot has held fast to His path;
(The Book of Job 23: 11 NASB)
I have kept His way and not turned aside.”
Let us next state: Life does not always go the way we planned. Oftentimes, careers, people we love, and obligations cause us to walk toward a different life-experience that we could never have imagined when we were young. That’s right; what we thought we might have been doing & where we thought we might be living & who we might have become COULD JUST BE TOTALLY DIFFERENT THAN WHAT WE FIRST THOUGHT!
Nevertheless—
- We MUST walk with God, never leaving our first love!
- We MUST stay on GOD’S PATH HE has for our lives!
- We MUST keep going the WAY HE LEADS!
- We MUST never turn away, leaving our faith!
WHY: BECAUSE GOD IS FAITHFUL & GOD WILL KEEP HIS PROMISES!
WHY: BECAUSE GOD IS UNCHANGING & GOD’S ASSURANCE IS PURE JOY & OUR HOPE!
Will you pause to read John 3: 16?
“I have not departed from the command of His lips;
(The Book of Job 23: 12 NASB)
I have treasured the words of His mouth more than my necessary food.”
Let us continually state to the watching world: This life on earth is NOT all we who believe have; our HOPE is not short-lived from birth-date to burial-date. There is FAR MORE IN OUR ETERNITY than this life we can currently see.
Therefore—
Will you pause to read Matthew 6: 33?
- May we walk true to our LORD’S commands!
- May we walk faithful to our LORD’S statutes!
- May we read God’s Word, seeking Him daily, seeking His Truth!
- May we meditate, treasuring His Word, allowing it to permeate all our thoughts!
- May we seek God—more than anything!
In writing, when the author employs a semi-colon, then the next independent statement is ‘married’ in thought to the preceding independent statement that came before the semi-colon. So, take a moment to read the three preceding statements that come in The Book of Job, the statements that come right before this punctuation (;).
“But He knows the way I take; . . .”
“My foot has held fast to His path; . . .”
“I have not departed from the command of His lips; . . .”
Now read the following three statements that come in The Book of Job, the statements that come right before this punctuation (;). As we read, may we see with clarity Just Exactly What God Expects of You & Me as we are comforted by the Promises of Almighty God.
“When He has tried me, I shall come forth as gold.”
“I have kept His way and not turned aside.”
“I have treasured the words of His mouth more than my necessary food.”
- Keep studying God’s Word, learning all we can—as if we will life on this earth forever.
- Keep striving to learn more about the Creator of the universe.
- Keep reaching to lead the lost to come to know Jesus.
Never be ashamed of the Gospel message, of speaking up when the Holy Spirit leads.
For Truly—This is What God Expects—of YOU & ME!
Hold fast to the Gospel, to the Assurance, to the Hope—This Day—Today—Could Be the Day Jesus Calls Us Home to Our Eternity!
“So, for my part, I am eager to preach the gospel to you also who are in Rome.
(The Letter of Paul to the Romans 1: 15-17 NASB)
For I am not ashamed of the gospel,
for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes,
to the Jew first and also to the Greek.
For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith;
as it is written,
“BUT THE RIGHTEOUS MAN SHALL LIVE BY FAITH.”