What Do You Expect?: Trusting God through the Troubles of This World

Day 265 of Bible Reading Plan – Friends this life is hard. What do you expect from this life? What we expect from this life can lead us away from the mission God has for us or near to Him, depending on our response to life’s curveballs.

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with Denise Pass

BIBLE READING PLAN

 

What do you expect?

What Do You Expect?

Friends this life is hard. What do you expect from this life? What we expect from this life can lead us away from the mission God has for us or near to Him, depending on our response to life’s curveballs.

 

 

Bible Reading of the Day: John 21

John 21 begins with Jesus’ third appearance to the disciples. Reading from John 21:1-7, “After this, Jesus revealed himself again to his disciples by the Sea of Tiberias. He revealed himself in this way: 2 Simon Peter, Thomas (called “Twin”), Nathanael from Cana of Galilee, Zebedee’s sons, and two others of his disciples were together. 3 “I’m going fishing,” Simon Peter said to them. “We’re coming with you,” they told him. They went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing. 4 When daybreak came, Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples did not know it was Jesus. 5 “Friends,” Jesus called to them, “you don’t have any fish, do you?” “No,” they answered. 6 “Cast the net on the right side of the boat,” he told them, “and you’ll find some.” So they did, and they were unable to haul it in because of the large number of fish. 7 The disciple, the one Jesus loved, said to Peter, “It is the Lord!”

 

What Do You Expect—God is Relatable

Jesus is so down to earth. He revealed Himself to them by coming alongside them right where they were at. And by goin’ fishin’.

Our world thinks the bible is not relevant to life. But our God is relatable and relevant. He meets us right where we are at. The One Who made us knows what we need and when we need it.

Jesus came in a way they needed. He came and helped them as they were struggling to catch fish. Jesus came and served them breakfast.

What is it you are needing from God? Are you willing to trust God in the timing of that? Notice I did not say wanting, but needing. And yet Jesus loves to give us more than we need.

 

What Do You Expect—Expect troubles

As the disciples sat around eating breakfast with Jesus, Jesus asked Peter the same question three times in John 21:15-17.

15 When they had eaten breakfast, Jesus asked Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?” “Yes, Lord,” he said to him, “you know that I love you.” “Feed my lambs,” he told him. 16 A second time he asked him, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” “Yes, Lord,” he said to him, “you know that I love you.” “Shepherd my sheep,” he told him. 17 He asked him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Peter was grieved that he asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” He said, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” “Feed my sheep,” Jesus said.

 

What Do You Expect—Follow anyway when life is hard

Jesus restores Peter and reminds him of the job he needs to do. Then Jesus tells him how he will suffer in verses 18-19, but then He simply says, “Follow Me“.

Then Peter wants to know about the disciple Jesus loved – John. We all have this type of thinking in our hearts, too, don’t we? We want to be the favored one, and when it seems like someone else is favored more than us, we can once again get off mission and stop following Jesus. “As for you, follow me“, Jesus simply says.

 

What Do You Expect—Expect persecution

Our expectations can lead us to disillusionment. We expect things to go a certain way in this world and when they don’t we can get thrown off track and not trust God. Peter denied that he knew Christ when it meant persecution. Jesus tells Peter about future persecution that he will endure. He knows what to expect now.

What do you expect from Jesus, friend? From this life? We need to lay our expectations down and pick up the cross. This is not popular in today’s world. We want the theology that just speaks of blessing and no hardship. But that is not what Jesus promised. Will we follow Jesus when life is hard and we don’t get our way? Is this life all about us, or about the One Who made this world?

 

What to Expect From This Life

Just like Jesus warned Peter, He also forewarned us in John 16:33

“33 I have told you these things so that in me you may have peace. You will have suffering in this world. Be courageous! I have conquered the world.”

The NIV translation says you will have troubles. Troubles and suffering. These are not things we want. We need to change our mindset to understand that is what we will encounter in this world. Let’s stay on mission, friends. Let’s follow Jesus. Not prosperity. Not our flesh. And not this world.

True followers of Jesus follow Him in the sun and rain.

 

Scripture of the Day: John 21:25

“Jesus also did many other things. If they were all written down, I suppose the whole world could not contain the books that would be written.”

According to a few commentaries I read this morning, this verse is considered as hyperbole, meaning an exaggeration, and perhaps translated to mean

“that Jesus performed a prodigious number of miracles. This evangelist, John, frequently uses the word world in a general sense, to denote its inhabitants, as John 8:26, and in other places, (see John 15:18,) as signifying the carnal and unbelieving part of mankind. The Greek word chóreó (χωρεω), here translated contain, is not only used in that sense, but, when applied to the mind, denotes the reception and understanding of any thing, and is rendered to this purpose, as in Matthew 19:11 (which says, “But He said to them, “Not all men can accept this statement, but only those to whom it has been given.). By adopting these observations the text may be understood to mean, “I am persuaded the world itself would not receive the books that should be written.” (Benson Commentary).

How about us? Do we receive God’s truth and live it out? Do we believe and receive what He has for us? the hardness of life can harden our hearts unless we align our mindset with the mind of Christ.

 

Application

  • What we expect might cause us to reject the One Who loves us most.
  • We need to lay our expectations down and pick up the cross.
  • Our God is relatable and relevant. He meets us right where we are at.
  • The One Who made us knows what we need and when we need it.

7-Fold One-Year Bible Reading Plan

Day #265: John 21

Scripture of the Day: John 21:25

Listen: https://www.biblegateway.com/audio/mclean/niv/John.21

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The post What Do You Expect?—September 21 Bible Reading Plan appeared first on Denise Pass.

 


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I write books, music, podcasts and blogs, speak and lead worship to help people to overcome the battles of the mind with the word of God and to see past the surface of this life by diving deep into the word of God.