by Gelly Nic
“Now to the one who works, wages are not credited as a gift but as an obligation.” (Romans 4:4 NIV)
Does ‘hope’ ever become ‘expectation’ for you? I have sometimes fallen guilty of that sin. I can be lulled into believing that what I desire is a reasonable expectation. That quickly leads to questioning God when that thing does not come to pass. From there it is a small step to feeling jealous of the one who has received or achieved the thing I desire.
James wrote that “each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.” (James 1:14-15 NIV)
We do not want that death!
If, like me, you have begun to wander down that path, look to the Lord. Even when the desires themselves are not evil, they can lead to dissatisfaction and temptations toward sin. We believe that we should receive what we ‘deserve.’ As Paul points out, wages are an obligation (Rom 4:4). Yet we are not ‘working’ for wages.
The expectation or desire we expected to achieve must be entrusted to the Lord. We cannot demand the breakthrough we anticipated, or the respect we believe we deserve. The healthy life, solid marriage, satisfying career, or your heart’s desire may not eventuate. But God can be trusted to use the circumstances or situation we have to achieve His plan, and to transform us in important ways. God, who loved us before we deserved His love, continues to love us and to complete what is best for us.
Jesus, who came to serve, asks us to live, love, and serve with generosity, keeping no record, and expecting nothing in return. Through Jesus’s sacrifice, we do not get what we truly deserve (Rom 6:23). In God’s sight, trusting in what Jesus has achieved, “our faith is credited as righteousness.” (Romans 4:5 NIV)
Gelly Nic seeks to share God’s Word with others, that each may know and experience the incredible love and faithfulness of our God, who draws near to us as we draw near to Him (Jas 4:8). Her heart prayer is that those on the margins would find grace and true fellowship in God, and with His people.
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