Do you think God has expectations for us?

Question

I rememer Micah 6:8 ' And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.' But do you think God has individual expectations of us? To 'achieve' anything? If we all have a purpose does God expect that we will reach those expectations?

Answer 1

Yes I do believe we all have expectations and a purpose in life that god wishes for us to find and achieve. However it may take a lifetime to figure out exactly what the purpose may be and once we learn what it is it may be hard to fully achieve it. But thats my view...I still have yet to find my purpose myself but I have asked this same question a number of times in my young life....

Answer 2

I have a much more individualistic view of God than that. And in fact, I prefer a pantheon of gods and goddesses. But I will answer in the spirit of a monotheist, since I'm able to do so.

Yes, I think there is an ideal pathway for each of us. There is a Right Livelihood and a Right Mating, and etc. However, there seems to be no consistent method for discovering exactly what the Right is in a given case.

If you live a life which is basically toward the light, which is following a path of love and peace and truth, then you develop a certain instinct regarding the rightness of certain decisions. Not all of them, perhaps (is chocolate more Right than vanilla?), but the ones of consequence. As the old-fashioned would say, a thing is FITTING. That is, it fits in with not only your moral principles, but the entire fabric of your life. If you have made a promise, it is important to keep it if you can. If you have made a decision, the consequences of that decision are yours.

Certain things are clear, and it takes only courage (ONLY?) to do what is right. Some things you just have to punt.

Answer 3

Let's suppose, for the sake of argument, that there is a god. In that case, he could either give you free will, or give you a purpose, but not both. A purpose is something that you associate with an inanimate object like a hammer or a bicycle. You cannot simultaneously assign something a purpose and at the same time say that it has free will to decide things for itself. The two are mutually exclusive.

Answer 4

The prize...
(Psalm 37:11) But the meek ones themselves will possess the earth, And they will indeed find their exquisite delight in the abundance of peace.
The price?
(Matthew 28:19-20) Go therefore and make disciples of people of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the holy spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all the things I have commanded YOU. And, look! I am with YOU all the days until the conclusion of the system of things.”

Answer 5

Providing we are followers of him the Holy spirit guides us on our endeavours, So yes God is wanting us to reach our full potential in him. He wants us to be history makers, and world changers!

Answer 6

no there was no expectations in the first place religion is all just to scare people into doing the right thing because the people who made these stories knew that if we thought there were no cnsequences, then wed do whatever we want

Answer 7

My favorite verse....the key word is require.....This is our general code of conduct. For us individually, time spent in prayer and study will lead us to tasks God has for us.

Answer 8

Why don't you just send God a certified letter and ask?

Oh, I forgot, it doesn't work that way...it's a mystery, right?

It must be so wonderful to be able to delude oneself this way.

Answer 9

Now that we have accepted Christ, the promise from the Lord is we receive the Holy Spirit, who becomes our Helper. What then can we expect from the Christian walk at this point? Should we expect to live a sinless life? What expectations does God have for us?

One of the greatest problems for a believer is to understand the changed life. Learning how to struggle with the old nature and live the new nature. Paul pictures the Christian life like a race (Philippians 3:14), and in a race there is a method to winning.

The goal of the believer should be to win the race set before us. Anybody who runs knows there is a process to training the body to endure the trials of a race. Before race-day, the runner trains with the race in mind. The greater the training, preparation and planning, the more serious the runner is about the race. The writer of Hebrews uses the imagery of the race with spectators watching as the runners head toward the finish. Only here the spectators are those who have run before.

Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, Hebrews 12:1

The writer in Hebrews instructs the runner (the believer) to cast off weight and sin, so we can endure the race. The Christian life is an endurance run; we must train and prepare ourselves for this contest. Examining the lives of many “successful” saints, both Old and New Testament, we will see they strived for personal holiness, they are not born with it; they choose to strive for holiness. Paul seeing Jesus on the road to Damascus did not just rest on seeing a vision, but battled his old nature, through discipline bringing it under subjection to the new nature.

24 Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it. 25 And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown. 26 Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty. Thus I fight: not as one who beats the air. 27 But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified. I Corinthians 9:24-27

So even Paul had to struggle with his old nature, we like Paul need to be focused the prize. Let us ask ourselves, are we focused? If not, are we willing to focus on the prize of holiness, being like Christ?

What to expect from the Holy Spirit?

Does God expect us to be perfect and sinless, now that the Holy Spirit is dwelling within? Scripture is clear God understands our frailties and our sin nature. This however is not an excuse for sin. Now that the Holy Spirit is dwelling within, we have power, which we did not have before. We should expect the Holy Spirit to move in our lives, to help us be like Christ. We in turn must allow God’s Spirit to operate in our life, by submitting to His will. To know His will, we must approach the throne of God in prayer, seeking God’s will. To know God’s will means we need to read God’s Word, which communicates His will.

The Christian walk is journey from the time of conversion until the time of perfection. Once we come to Christ, the Holy Spirit moves in our life, transforming us into the image of Christ. The extent of our transformation on this side of eternity depends on how willing we are for the spirit to work in our life.

18 But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord. 2 Corinthians 3:18

First, we have to understand God does not require perfection for salvation, Paul like us did not attain perfection in this life, it was his goal. Perfection should be our goal, but we will only reach it at the resurrection. Therefore, in this life, we must always remember sanctification[1], is an ongoing process, lets not give up when we fail, but press on.

Answer 10

God has a plan for us. If we were meant to know all the divine mysteries, they wouldn't be mysteries.