God is good. And because He is good, we can expect many good things from Him.
Many, however, do not know just how good God is. Because of this they expect the wrong things from Him.
Many people who do not know God do not expect good from Him. When they achieve something good or receive something of value, they think it's mere luck; but when they face misfortune and loss, they blame it on God as if He's the one who caused it.
The Bible, however, tells us the opposite is true. James 1:16-17 tells us,
"Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning."
Since every good and perfect gift we receive comes from God, we ought to expect only the good and perfect gifts from Him.
In this article we'll talk about three things that we can -- and should -- always expect from God.
Three things Christians should always expect from God
1) Unfailing love
Jeremiah 31:3 tells us,
"The Lord has appeared of old to me, saying: "Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love; Therefore with lovingkindness I have drawn you.""
By saying He loved us "with an everlasting love," God assured us that His love for us will never end. He loved us before we were born, and He will continue loving us until the day we die.
This kind of love, which is made available only through Christ, also cannot be taken away from us. Romans 8:38-39 tells us,
"For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."
2) Daily-renewed mercy
Lamentations 3:22-23 tells us,
"Through the Lord's mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness."
God's mercies are renewed every morning. This means He is very patient.
His patience meant our salvation: Christ coming to earth and dying in our place.
Now that we have salvation available in Christ, His patience means our sanctification: His Holy Spirit continually changing us from glory to glory, as we walk in obedience to Him.
3) Continuous grace
Lastly, we can expect God to continuously shower us with His grace.
Grace is defined as "the free unmerited love and favor of God, the spring and source of all the benefits men receive from Him." We don't deserve this, but He gives it to us because that's just how good He is.
Ephesians 1:3 tells us,
"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ."
Because God has blessed us with all the spiritual blessings in Christ, we can expect to receive all these blessings if we are in Christ.
We ought to expect God to provide for us, meet our needs, and lead us to green pastures as we follow Him. We can expect Him to protect us, guide us, and sustain us. He's that good.
