Matters of Faith: Know What’s Expected of You

Psalm 139:14
“I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, and that my soul knows very well.”

 

Philippians 4:13
“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”

 

This is the time of year that graduations are taking place throughout the nation. Boys and girls as well as men and women are donning their caps and gowns and moving from one level of accomplishment to another. They are moving with great expectations that better things are ahead. Yet, I’m sure there are quite a few of those graduates and achievers who feel like everybody wants to tell them what to do and what’s expected of them. You don’t have to be a child to feel this way. Adults feel it too. They feel it on their jobs, in their relationships, in their clubs and their fraternities, even with their friends and associates.

 

Whether child or adult, sometimes it seems everybody knows more about them than they know about themselves. Interestingly enough, sometimes they do!

 

Parents want their children to do better in life then they did, so they expect them to do well in school. Society wants their constituency to be contributors to the stability of the nation, so they expect them to be productive and pay taxes. These are not unrealistic expectations. There is merit in others having expectations of you. They can act as motivating factors to higher accomplishment. In fact, the expectations of others can stretch you in ways you never thought you could achieve. If you have an interest, you can find all sorts of articles and books about expectations; what adults expect from children, what children expect from parents and adults, what society expects from its citizens and what citizens expect from their society.

 

But have you considered that the expectations of parents, friends and even society should pale in comparison to what you expect from yourself? Your expectations should mirror God’s expectations for you. The Lord has the highest expectations for you because He knows what you’re made of. If you didn’t know it, you were fearfully and wonderfully made…, in His image! That means that you have the spirit of the living God inside of you. Paul asks a rhetorical question, “Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?” (1 Cor. 3:16) I’ll ask this; What can be too hard for a person who has the God of creation in them?

 

Every graduation, every elevation reminds you that you are in the process of building your life, of creating your own expectations and becoming the best man or woman you are capable of becoming. So, my message to the graduates is simple; dare to dream BIG dreams! Dare to be bold in your expectation for your life! Dare to be better than you think possible. Think Big! Dream Big! Be Big! How big, you may ask? If you can achieve your dreams with your own ability, your dreams are not big enough! You need to have a God-sized dream!

 

Keep in mind that you are magnificent, you are great, you are more than a conqueror, you are fearfully and wonderfully made, you are created in the image of God and jam-packed with power beyond your wildest imagination, and that you can do all things through Christ Jesus who strengthens you!

 

Know what’s expected of you!

 

Be Blessed!

20161113_JLRussellRev. J. Loren Russell is an associate minister at both Goodwill and The Greater Universal Baptist Churches in the Bronx, President/CEO of The JLR Company for Church Financial & Strategic Consulting, and hosts “Matters of Faith – The Radio Show” on Soul 1 Radio, Mondays 8:00 – 10:00 PM. Listen here or by phone at 626-226-1448. Be sure to friend “Matters of Faith” on Facebook and email us at mattersoffaith.mof@gmail.com. You can also use the email to order his new book, Matters of Faith: The Book.

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