WHAT DO YOU EXPECT?

Life goes stale when nothing new is expected. New and expectation are ideal neighbors. Revival and renewal are loved. The search to capture a younger look is funded by mega-bucks. The resurgence of new life in an old company is hailed as remarkable; even thrilling. New car? New glasses? New shoes? They all reflect something special about the day. One can buy a used car, but because it's new to them the excitement runs just as strong. To expect new to arise from routine is like a breath of fresh air. Regardless of our age, we never tire of finding the new.

One of the reasons I like the church so much is it's always new. Life in Christ is new. The Bible says we are new day by day. I love that truth. Even when we tell the old faithful Story, today's hearts take it in and it makes us.....new. For any reading this who have become burnt or at least bummed due to church, I want to encourage you about its new life. The church is alive! It isn't a repeat of the repeated! It's alive because we are growing to be less devoted to man's religiosity and more committed to the stability of Jesus.

Henri Nouwen wrote, Many have walked into that dead-end street and found themselves imprisoned in a life where all the words were already spoken, all events had already taken place, and all the people had already been met. We say it another way: Been there. Done that.
But what I find fascinating is we haven't been there with Jesus and done that with Jesus yet. Take a look at his ministry and rehearse the time the crowds left him and a said, Ah, not so interesting. He's losing it. He's always healing people and feeding crowds from sack lunches. The guy is losing his touch, don't you think? Such isn't being said because the very nature of Jesus is a strong and new life.

What I love about it is we are free to expect it. Every Sunday God does something amazing in our assemblies. I can't wait to get here to see what it is. It never comes from the same person. It just gets here.....somehow. He shows up. We've come to expect it.

There are those who want lots of things. But there's something wonderfully weird going on in the invisibles when we expect; not demand, but anticipate. My your life grow in believing God is the Provider; even in those matters which you can't explain.....you can only expect.