What Does God Expect?
What is God's expectation for us as Christians? What is it we should be doing? According to our Lord we should be loving God first and then those around us (Matthew 22: 37-39). We should be working towards being more like Christ and less like the world. What does that practically mean though? We are told in Micah 6: 6-8 that God's expectations are for us to treat others justly, to love mercy and to be a humble people.
The People Fail to Obey
In the book of Haggai we read about the failure of the Jewish people to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem as they had been told by God to do. Returning to Jerusalem they had been busy rebuilding their own homes and lives but had failed to rebuild the temple. Haggai tells the people that even though they had planted much they reaped little. He says their food and water did not meet their needs and even though they worked hard their money never went far enough (Haggai 1:6). Why? Because they had been disobedient, God's judgment was on them.
The Temple Rebuilt
God had ordered a drought - not just of water but of food and livestock and "all the labor of your hands" (Haggai 1:11). The people could no longer put off the will of God. They couldn't delay out of fear for what other nations might do to them; they couldn't place their own needs ahead of God's commands. They could not continue in their fear. And so, they built, once again, a great temple to the Lord as they were instructed to do.
Jesus and the Temple
This temple was the very same temple that our Lord entered as a baby. The same temple that Jesus taught in as a young boy. The same temple where He threw over the money changer's tables. Had the people of Haggai's time not listened to God there would not have been a second temple.
How Are We Doing?
When we look at our own lives how are we doing? Are we obeying God? Do we treat others justly? Are we merciful as mercy was shown to us? Are we humble? Do we love God with all our might? Do we love others as He has loved us?
How Can We Be Obedient?
We show justice when we are honest with others, when we show others respect and when we stand up for what is right. We can show mercy in a multitude of ways. We can show mercy by being kind to those who are unkind; by sharing what we have with others and by being forgiving and compassionate. We show humility by serving others, by admitting our mistakes, by truly listening to people, by not desiring to be the center of attention. One of the best ways to show humility is not to "toot your own horn" as the expression goes. We don't have to trumpet our accomplishments to people.
God is With Us
There may be specific things that the Lord wants us to do. Maybe we haven't done them because we thought we should do other things first. Like the people of Haggai's time, maybe we are building our own house first. Maybe we haven't been obedient because we were afraid to do what we know God wants us to do. Many times God expects us to move out of our comfort zone. He expects us to do this because He is always with us. There is nothing we have to fear because He is by our side. We shouldn't question why God asks us to do something, we should just do it. God blesses the obedient.
Who Do We Love?
It is easy sometimes to believe that we are loving. But who is it we are loving? Is it those who love us? Is it those who are always grateful for our love? Jesus says in Matthew 5: 46-47 that anyone does that - even the hated tax collectors. We are to love our enemies. We are to love the neighbor who gossips about us, the coworker who tells lies to the boss about us, the young person who treats us disrespectfully or the old person who disregards anything we have to say.
Our Purpose
We may not be called to build a great temple to the Lord but each of us has a purpose; each of us has a calling. The Lord's expectations are high. The reason is because we have Him to be with us to help us to be just, merciful, humble and above all, loving. Before we blame the world, the non-Christian, for all the bad things we see around us we should look inside ourselves. Are we doing all we can to show Christ to a lost and dying world?
Thy Will Be Done
The Lord taught us to pray, "Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven." (Matthew 6:10). Our prayer each day should be to seek His will and do it. We can start by showing love whenever we have the opportunity. We don't have to fear, even when persecution comes, because doing His will is why we are here.
Be blessed with the song "God's Will" by Martina McBride here.
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