While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. --ROMANS 5:8
Expectations create conditional love. "I love you, but I'll love you more if."
Now I know what you're thinking. Shouldn't we expect the best out of one another? Shouldn't we encourage each other to strive for excellence and never settle for anything else? Absolutely. But it was Christ who taught us how to use expectations. Does He demand a lot? You better believe it. Does He expect much? Only our best. Does He have expectations? Just that we leave everything, deny all, and follow Him. The difference? Jesus' expectations were accompanied by forgiveness and acceptance.
Study attentively these words written by Paul: "While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." When did He die for us? When we reached perfection? No. When we overcame all temptation? Hardly. When we mastered the Christian walk? Far from it. Christ died when we were still sinners. His sacrifice, then, was not dependent on our performance.
When we love with expectations, we say, "I love you. But I'll love you even more if.?" Christ's love had none of this. No strings, no expectations, no hidden agendas, no secrets. His love for us was, and is, up front and clear. "I love you," He says, "even if you let Me down. I love you in spite of your failures."
One step behind the expectations of Christ come His forgiveness and tenderness. Tumble off the tightrope of what our Master expects and you land safely in His net of tolerance.
SPREAD THE WORD THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
Alone, expectations can be bullets that kill; but buffered by acceptance and forgiveness, they can bring out the best in us and those around us.
Max Lucado Products Books, Music, Videos up to 30% Off!
http://freedomonline.spreadtheword.com/
store/SearchAllSimpleNEW/asp
/strSearch/Max%20Lucado
Earn Income! Fund Ministry! Answer God's Calling!
quick home cleaning Glenview ..Liam says to Joe; "where is your God now, when... Read More
There are many different and interchangeable terms that are used... Read More
My favorite scripture is Roman's 8:28. "And we know that... Read More
I beheld the sky and its wonders and saw AstonishmentI... Read More
You're looking at one star in the middle of a... Read More
"All you who are thirsty, come and drink." ISAIAH 55:1,... Read More
Military personnel at a U.S. prison in Guantanamo, Bay, Cuba... Read More
God, what a wonderful spirit. He, is our ever present... Read More
THE KABBALAH OF PERSONAL TRANSFORMATION: TURNING DARKNESS INTO LIGHT"In the... Read More
Hopefully you're reading this article because you're intrigued by the... Read More
How a Divine "Dream", gave me a Spiritual Principle for... Read More
1. Identify a woman who is "like minded," who has... Read More
Life is growth. For many people life is like a... Read More
Many of our great religions hold that numbers contain hidden... Read More
Recently I was watching a re-run of "Everybody Loves Raymond".... Read More
The bible tells a story about four men who sat... Read More
Oxford dictionary defines PRAYER as "a request for help or... Read More
Love is mentioned well over 350 times in the Bible.... Read More
Uh, oh. I'm in trouble now. I found God. Now... Read More
Because of the bright lights behind me, the golf balls... Read More
A spiritual event is what happens in every moment of... Read More
The time has come for the mass population on Earth... Read More
"For lack of guidance a nation falls, but many advisors... Read More
One cannot make a decision in the moment of now.... Read More
Ok, let's start with the amazing story of Robbie and... Read More
scheduled maid service Winnetka ..Many of our great religions hold that numbers contain hidden... Read More
The first hymn of Isha Upanishad says - whatever living... Read More
Observations from the Town Car... "Home James!"The bulk of driving... Read More
It's late. But it's usually those words that you cannot... Read More
Matthew 1:1-17The Genealogy of Jesus Christ1 The book of the... Read More
Sundered Knight:Although the world, Denies the weak aid and justice,... Read More
In Corrogue, Celtic mythology helps me live a wonderful life.As... Read More
For the past several years I have struggled with getting... Read More
(Channeled)Roy-when does the end of physical life come? Is it... Read More
In one forum, one participant posted this query:I think quite... Read More
In the golfing world, yesterday may have been one of... Read More
The myths of man have been with us throughout time.... Read More
I have been counseling people on weight loss, exercise efficiency... Read More
One of the most frightening things... Read More
What better example than Jesus' life to explain about having... Read More
The question of life after death is one that continues... Read More
Since the beginning of time mankind has pondered, who God... Read More
Ecclesiasts 5:18 Then I realized that it is good and... Read More
Why Abandon Religion?It is so commonly believed today that religion... Read More
Before we dwell on the subject of Self Realization we... Read More
I seemed to have lost my heart. Now this is... Read More
Many people are awakening today to the idea that the... Read More
Let's take a look at all these aspects. The bible... Read More
Did we just overlook the amount of love that God... Read More
Often, in being dishonest about our own faults and failures,... Read More
Spirituality |