Seize the Moment – Day 903
Setting Right Expectations!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Tuesday, September 6.
Who sets the expectations for your life?
Expectations are a strong belief that something will happen in the future, and having right expectations is an essential ingredient to living the abundant life of Jesus Christ (John 10:10). It’s like when a friend puts her arm around you and says, “I know we can accomplish this goal, especially if we do it together.” That’s what the Chronicler was doing with the Israelites in how he was retelling the story of King David – setting right expectations for the people as they were working together to rebuild their nation
The following are three expectations set by the Chronicler in 1 Chronicles 11:
- Unity of Purpose. In the first three verses, the people of Israel declared that they were one with David. The Chronicler emphasized the importance of the people’s unity.
- Hard Work. Verses 4-9 emphasize David’s commitment to seize Jerusalem as Israel’s new unified capital, and then verses 10-47 demonstrate the urgency for all the people to work hard to accomplish the goal.
- God’s Direct Involvement. David was king because it was “according to the word of the LORD through Samuel” (3). Their success was dependent on God, just as verse 9 states, “David became greater and greater, for the Lord of hosts was with him.”
These three expectations are relevant today! They are necessary if our churches are going to see God do great things in and through us. God is the one who sets our expectations, and He has done so by giving us His precious and magnificent promises through a relationship with Jesus Christ (2 Peter 1:3-4). As fellow members of the body of Christ, we must unify around God’s purposes for our lives (Romans 12:4-21; Ephesians 4:11-16).
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YOUTUBE:
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Videos are posted about a week after the devotion appears in the blog.