Imagine that you are perfect. Imagine that you have never made a mistake in your entire life, and that you have treated everyone you've met with the utmost love and mercy. Then, imagine that someone accused you of lying, and of making God a mockery. Imagine that everyone believed your accuser, and decided that you needed to be killed for your actions.
That's what Jesus did for us, friends. And here's the kicker- He didn't have to do any of it. Jesus could have changed His mind. He could have blinked and gotten out of the terrible pain He was in on the cross. But Jesus loved us, and He agreed with God that you and I were worth all the pain He suffered. He decided that His love for God (His Father) and His love for us was much greater than the torment He was put through!
Forever in Debt
Last week, I talked about how we are not bound by anyone's expectations of us. We are free. But human expectations are much different than God's expectations.You see, we owe God everything. He gave up His Son for us. He loved us enough to put His plan of redemption into motion. He made sure we had a way back to Him.
God (Jesus) is our Savior. He took on what we deserved so that we wouldn't have to. He served our sentence. So when we talk about expectations, we need to realize that we owe God everything. We are forever indebted to Him, and we need to start living like it.
No one likes the idea of being bound to anyone else. Our favorite words are often "freedom", "independence", and "self-sufficiency". We don't like being told what to do or how to live, and we certainly don't like owing anything to anyone.
But with God, it's different.
Living by God's Expectations Brings Freedom
The thing about God's expectations is that they actually bring freedom. When we are living by another human's expectations, we are just living to please another imperfect being. They are just as faulty as we are, and often-times, their expectations are not what is best for us.But when we live by God's expectations, we are always doing what is best for ourselves too. Not only are we living to please the One whom we owe everything to, but we are also living in a manner that will work out for our good- God promised us that (Romans 8:28).
But how can we reconcile living a life free of expectations, yet bound by another set of expectations? How do we live free and live tethered at the same time? In the final part of this series, I will share how I believe we can bridge that gap. Keep your eyes peeled :)