I Expect

"I expect" - two words laden with possibility. Unlike "I thirst" they are not two words spoken by Jesus on the cross, yet his reply to the thief on the adjacent cross "Today you will be with me in paradise" shows us that his expectation was very much dialled to the max!

Weeks later Peter would be walking in the temple area and encounter a lame beggar calling for attention. Peter simply offers him Jesus, and this is enough to command the lame to get up and walk. Peter's expectation levels had become similarly dialled up.

When it comes to Kingdom outcomes, are we able to say "I expect"?

It seems to me that our expectation and our hunger & thirst somehow go together. As in my previous post our desire or aspirations for growth need to be matched with an appropriate spiritual hunger & thirst. They also need to inter-lock with a Kingdom-orientated expectation. There is little point hungering after God if we do not expect much is possible (in Kingdom terms). Similarly why hanker for growth or expansion if Jesus-inspired expectation is lacking?

Let us expect that if we engage in Kingdom-work there will be accompanying Kingdom-sign. Not simply for signs sake, but resonating with a spiritual hunger & thirst nurtured in our spiritual life. As this plays out, we will then certainly need more capacity to embrace the God-given developments.