Wednesday-Expecting Everything

His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.

2 Peter 1:3

It’s a funny thing about expectations. They never stay the same. They keep changing. What once was enough just doesn’t do it anymore. We want more and more. We need more and more.

We see this in the beginning of the first Harry Potter movie. It’s Dudley’s birthday and he’s been given 36 presents from his parents. Dudley goes ballistic[1] and loudly complains that last year he had 37 presents. I don’t know about you, but three birthday presents sounds pretty good to me. You see, expectations are everything.

Did you know that we can have expectations when it comes to God? We can’t be like Dudley, expecting anything and everything we might want. But God has shown us that he’s so dependable that we can expect him to do certain things.

When Peter says that God has given, he’s saying something very important. Notice that God is not presently giving. Or that God will give sometime in the future. No. God has already given. The giving is done. It was totally completed in the past and is still having effect today.

It can be hard to think about things like this without a specific example. In my life I experienced something like this through my mom. Without telling anyone, she bought a special life insurance policy for herself. I accidentally found out about it when she asked me to take over her finances. What makes this like how God has given these two things.

1. Payment. Mom made a one-time payment for the policy. She wrote a check and sent it in. And that was it. The insurance company sent her the policy and it was stamped, “Paid in Full.” After that, she didn’t need to pay anything else. She didn’t owe anyone anything..

2. Payments. Since mom died, I’ve been getting these payments from that policy. I don’t have to do anything; they just keep showing up. There is no more payment to be made, only payments to receive. I don’t even need to go online to fill out a form. The payments just keep coming and coming.

When God says that he’s given us everything, its totally paid for. With Jesus, his one-time payment covered all sins; past, present, and future. No other payment or sacrifices are needed. He paid for it all. It’s done. It’s finished. But why would God do this? What’s his purpose behind all this?

Simply put, God wants you and me to live godly lives. This isn’t out of some guilt-driven shame where we feel so dirty in front of a totally holy God. Living a godly life also isn’t us trying to pay back God for what we’ve done. What we’ve said. What we’ve thought.

The godly life that Peter’s trying to describe is one where we live in response to who God is and all he’s already done. Since he’s already paid for our brokenness and sin, it’s a life that’s energized because we’re totally forgiven. His forever promise is to be a good and loving Father to us[2]. He’s made us his children in Jesus[3]. And like all children, we want to please the one who loves us.

Yes, God has given us everything we need, but it has a purpose. And that’s to live a godly life. But how do we do that? What’s the secret sauce for living a godly life here on a planet where everything seems so against living that kind of life?

Peter’s answer is simple. It’s not about us but all about God. And what did God do? He called us by his own glory and goodness. He does the calling to us. He’s the one who’s reaching out to us.

It’s not our goodness, but his. It’s not about bringing attention on us but shining a light on who God is all he’s done. Instead of pointing towards ourselves, we need to point towards God with all our words, thoughts, actions, and attitudes. He’s our maker and savior. He’s earned and deserves all our attention and praise.

That’s the kind of life that God’s given us everything for. It’s not about what we have or who we are in this life. God’s given us his power to point towards him in everything we do.

If we walk around, expecting a perfect life where we get anything and everything we want, we’re going to be deeply disappointed. If we think life’s all about us, we’re going to experience nothing but frustration and hurt. Expecting everything in this life is a disaster waiting to happen.

But God’s definition of expecting everything points us to him. Not to ourselves but to the God who loves us. Towards knowing him more and more. To giving glory to him no matter what. To showing his goodness to everyone we come in contact with. This is the life that we can live and expect everything. And why? Because God wants to show himself to everyone, and that means using people just like you and me.

Noodling Questions

• Are you the kind of person that expects everything to go your way? Explain.

• Why do you move away from people that expect everything in this life?

• How is a life that points people to Jesus the most exciting life possible?

[1] https://youtu.be/NwUraEsCBjk?si=k6cy70A3li3k0n-h&t=52

[2] 2 Corinthians 6:18

[3] 1 John 3:1