A 40 in 60 Blog
Now He did not do many mighty works there because of their unbelief.
Matthew 13:58 (NKJV)
I have heard one of my favorite Pastors and a man I consider a mentor, A.R. Bernard, say dozens of times, “You don’t get out of life what you want, you get what you expect.” Scripture notes that Jesus in Nazareth (his childhood hometown) that he could do no great works because of their unbelief or lack of faith. There really is a treasure trove of truth in this scripture but one thing I believe is alluded to is that because there was little faith in Nazareth to see Jesus mighty works there was also little expectation to see those mighty works performed.
I have a couple of hats that I wear in ministry but my most personally rewarding one is being able to speak at Men’s Conferences. The conference season just ended and reflecting on it I am reminded of this truth about expectations. Recently I was at a conference in the southern part of the country and my session was on Leading and Influencing Adult Children. At this event I experienced what was for me the highlight of the season when the Senior Pastor of the church came to my session sat up front, with paper and notebook ready, not to hear me but with an expectation to hear from God. It was a blessing to see a Pastor with a hunger to hear from God. I juxtapose that to an experience I had at one of my last conferences. This session was on Understanding Your Spouse. I had a young man whom I later found out was 31 years old attend the session. Please keep in mind that I have been married more than a decade since he has been alive, but I digress. He sat in the back of the room texting on his cell phone (that became apparent later) ignoring what was going on around and in front of him. At some point I struck a chord with him, and he asked a question/made a statement that validated he was sending texts not taking notes or paying meaningful attention. This young man did not come with an expectation to hear form God.
The Pastor came with an expectation of getting equipped, being challenge, receiving breakthrough, and information to share with his flock. The young man came with no expectation of getting equipped, challenged, or stretched. More than likely, he came to check a box, get a quick fix to make the pain go away or fix his spouse. Both men came with different expectations, and what they walked away with was based more on what they expected then what they experienced.
Here is what I would like to share in 60 seconds that has taken me 40 years to learn . . .
What you get in life will be based more on what you expect than you may think. Constantly examine, reflect on, and challenge your expectations. Because it will have a greater effect on what you get in life than you may think.
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