Chapter 1

What God Promises and What God Expects from Us

A Summary of What Is to Come!

I remember the exact moments when my two sons were born as being the most exciting and happiest times of my entire life.  In fact, it was so exciting that I never really knew what happiness truly was until then.  I have a photograph taken of me holding Adrian Allyn Childers, my first son, when he was only a few moments old.  Up until that time, I always had a problem producing a natural smile when a camera was pointed at me.  However, my joy was so complete at that moment that it was the first picture I can remember of me with a huge, natural smile, holding my newborn son.  As excited and happy as I was at that moment, I knew it was only the beginning of a long journey raising them, and I also knew it was a major commitment we had made to bring these children into the world.

It is much the same when we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior; that is why they call it being born again.  It is a time of great joy, filled with much anticipation.  In fact, the similarities during our walk through life, while following the teachings of Christ and maturing in our faith, is very much like a child growing to be a responsible and mature adult.  Being born again is only the beginning of a long spiritual journey and a commitment to follow the commandments of our Lord.  Our Christian lives may have begun with an emotional night at a revival or possibly quiet as we went through our religious training classes at church.   However, there is a point we make a commitment to the Lord and invite Him to come into our lives.  At that moment, we are born again, and the Word teaches us we are washed clean of our sins by the grace of God and are given the Holy Spirit to guide us through our walk on this earth.  We are also given a power to overcome the temptations of our society here on earth, which are contrary to the ways of the Lord.

Now what we do with this newfound grace and power given to us by the Holy Spirit is up to us.  The Lord created us as creatures of free will, free to follow God’s teachings and commandments or free to continue in the ways of the world.    The choices we make on a day-to-day basis determine the depth of the commitment we have made to our Lord Jesus Christ.

This book is intended to be a guide to help us understand the commitment we made to our Lord, what the Lord promises us, what the Lord expects from us, and the consequences of following or not following the will of God for our lives.  As I read the Bible, the Word of the Risen Lord, there are concepts that I do not hear being preached that often in our churches.  The Lord promises us not only eternal life, but also peace, joy, wisdom, and many other things listed as fruits of the Spirit.  However, many Christians are wondering why they are not experiencing these things, and it is because we must be seeking his kingdom above all else and living a righteous life in order to expect the promises of his son, Jesus Christ.  The Lord also promises us judgment and consequences if we are seeking the pleasures of this world, living according to the standards of this world.

Jesus Christ often spoke in parables, and the teachings of the apostles are often hard to understand by a newborn Christian or even by a more mature Christian for that matter.  The reason God does this is once we understand what God wants us to do, then God expects us to follow it.  Our eyes are opened to the truths of the Lord as we are ready to accept them and act upon them.  Again it is similar to the growth of our earthly children.  Just like my sons when they were young, they had to learn to walk, I had to hold their hands when we crossed the street, we had to teach them to study in school, and we took them to church to expose them to Christ.  We did not teach them to drive a car at age five, but we taught them what they needed, when they were ready for it.

The Holy Spirit will open our eyes to concepts of Christ when we are ready to follow them.  Our maturing faith is a lifelong process to claim the promises of Jesus Christ.  I have been involved in church-related activities all my life and do not remember a time I did not believe in Christ as my Lord.  However, as I was making my notes and researching for this book, I was totally amazed at how the Lord opened my eyes to passages I had read over and over through the years.  So this book is my understanding of the Bible after fifty years of life, but please remember, if you read this and the Holy Spirit opens your eyes, then you need to be ready to act on it because that is what our Lord expects.   

A few years ago, my younger son, Andrew, got me started listening to country and western music.  One of the songs from an artist Van Zant has a phrase in it, “If you want to hear God laugh, tell him your plans.”   God must really be laughing at me because I went through college earning a degree in math and physics, hoping to escape writing as many papers as possible.  The Lord will work in mysterious ways and uses the most unlikely of people in his plan to spread His love and Word.  Why God chose me to write this, only He knows; but the deeper I studied, the more convinced I became that this is what the Lord has given me as His will for my life, at this time.  Many times I will read through a book and wonder if it is ever going to make a point or even if it is worth my time reading it.  This chapter is an expanded outline of what you can expect in the following chapters, which is my interpretation of the Word of God, what he promises, and what he expects from us.  As you start reading, you will notice there are scripture, along with the reference where it can be found in the Bible.  Then it is followed by my interpretation of the scripture.  There are several things I would like to point out as you go through this work. 

1. Word of God – This book will only make sense if you accept the Bible as the inspired Word of our Lord.  My assumption is that it is the final authority on what the Lord promises us and what He expects from us.

2. Have your Bible by your side – When I quote scripture, it may only be one or two verses, but the reference may include several others.  It is important to understand the verses in context with others surrounding it, so I recommend reading all of the verses referenced to understand the full meaning.  My intention was not to rewrite the entire Bible but to get you thinking about a concept.

3. Religious fanatic – I am huge believer in the importance of attending a church in order to draw strength from the body.  However, much of what I am putting forward in the book is not being preached in our churches.  If you accept the Bible as the Word of God, then we do not have the option of picking and choosing which parts of the Bible we are going to believe in.  God’s promises are more wonderful than we can even imagine, but there are actions the Lord expects from us.  Some of what I read in the Bible can even sound very harsh, but it comes from a loving God.  So as you read, you may think of me as some kind of religious fanatic.  However, I challenge you to look at the scripture I put forward, along with my interpretation, and then you make up your own mind on what to believe.  We all have a choice, and your relationship with the Lord is based on the decisions you make on a daily basis.

Use it as a study guide on your walk through the riches of the Lord.  By reading through the next few pages, you can then determine if you think it is worth your time.