Don’t Forget To Act

In the birth account of Jesus there are two individuals who stand in stark contrast to each other—Zecharias and Simeon. As we noted this Sunday from Luke 1:5—23 Zecharias was a priest who should have been looking for the coming of the promised man of God, the Messiah. Yet when the announcement came that God had begun to fulfill His promise Zecharias’ lack of expectancy verged on unbelief. On the other hand Simeon was not only expecting the coming of the Messiah but Luke 22—28 tells us that he was actively looking for this special person to be revealed to him.

What was the difference? The difference between these two godly men is that one lived out his expectation in his daily life while the other’s expectation was limited to what he believed.

In this special 40 Days of Prayer season when we’re asking God to bless our church let us combine our expectancy with our actions. As we go through these 40 Days let us have an attitude of expectancy where we not only believe God’s promises but that we also act upon them. So, combine with your prayers these actions:

Faith Sharing— Seek opportunities to share your faith daily.

Followers of Jesus— Commit to participate in upcoming discipleship opportunities.

Families— Plan to participate in marriage, singles, and family strengthening opportunities as they are announced.

Fellowship— Commit to reach out to members & attendees of Grace and to interact with them according to biblical instruction in order to grow us as a biblical community.

In this Christmas season do you believe God’s promises that He will answer our prayers? Do you believe that He will bless us as a church as we enter 2010? If so, Live Out Your Expectation!