Do you think God’s disappointed in you? He’s not. You cannot shock or disappoint God. How can I say such a thing? Because the Bible says that we were chosen “according to the foreknowledge of God the Father” (1 Peter 1:2). In other words, God knew everything about you and me before we were born, before He chose us.
He knew everything He was getting in me, yet still chose me to be His child and to represent His Kingdom. That is not a pass to misbehave. It is an incentive to get up when I fall down—to press on. God knows He did not make a mistake in choosing you or me. He will fulfill His purpose in us. He knows the Spirit won’t fail to form Christlikeness in us (1 John 3:2-3).
God knew everything He was getting in us, yet still chose us to be His children. That is not a pass to misbehave. It is an incentive to get up when we fall down—to press on. #grace Click To TweetWe disappoint when we fail to meet someone’s expectations. Since God knew everything about me before I was born, my falls don’t surprise Him. Not understanding the depth of sin’s influence, I’m shocked and disappointed with myself when sin rears its ugly head. But God isn’t.
I imagine Him thinking, Dear child, you think that is bad, you haven’t seen the half of it. There is more where that came from. But My Son’s blood covered that too!
I may not disappoint God, but I can sadden Him. When I cave in to sinful impulses and disobey His wise standards, I hurt Him, myself, and others. Knowing this would happen, God provided the blood of Jesus to continually wash us, so we can continue the process of being transformed into the image of Christ (1 John 1:5-10).
Wallowing in self-condemnation and guilt paralyzes us and sidelines us from our higher calling. Holding on to shame is destructive and makes us self-conscious instead of Christ-conscious. Just as God knew Adam and Eve would fall, David would miserably fail, and Peter would deny Him, He knew you and I would mess up. Yet, He still chose them—and us—to be part of His forever family and build His kingdom on earth.
Wallowing in self-condemnation and guilt paralyzes us and sidelines us from our higher calling. Holding on to #shame is destructive and makes us self-conscious instead of Christ-conscious. #forgiven Click To TweetWhat have you done to disappoint yourself? Admit it to God and experience His forgiveness. He already knows; He’s not shocked. He stands ready to restore you and get you back on track. He loves you with the love of a perfect Father.
Blessings,
Adapted from Give Yourself a Break
Resources
Two July summits:
- Rebound Your Highest: Come back stronger after the struggle.
Check out the other speakers’s topics. I’ll be speaking on “How to Turn Messy Emotions into Mighty Faith.” Register here.
- Savvy Homeschooler
I’ll be teaching, “How to Partner with God in Leading Your Child.” Click here to register. And here’s your 10% discount code.
- Click the picture to watch the video.
Photo by Adrian Dascal on Unsplash
Sometimes I link with these great sites:
#InstaEncouraements, #TellHisStory #Recharge Wednesday, #WorthBeyondRubies #TuneinThursaday, #Dance with Jesus, #Grace&Truth,
What an awesome, incredibly wonderful God we serve!!!
Amen and Amen! Thank you, Ann!
I agree Ms. Debbie. I can’t disappoint, but I can sadden God with my decisions, words, and actions. When I willfully disobey Him, I am rejecting Christ. When that is realized, I disappoint myself. Such an important point to remember is that when I sin, I separate myself from God by grieving the Holy Spirit; I sever that “connection.” To restore it, I must confess and repent (1 John 1:9). Oh for the love of our faithful, merciful, loving, and grace-giving God. Wonderful post today my friend.
J.D., I love the picture in 1 John 1:7, “But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all[a] sin.” His blood is better than long lasting deodorant. It actually cleanses us throughout the day when we aren’t even aware we need it! Thank so much for engaging.
I love knowing this about God. His expectations of us will never exceed his power to bring them to pass.
Well said! Thank you, Michele. “By grace, through faith…”
Loved this – I’ve been reflecting on expectations recently, and this was a confirmation word, thank you.
Sharon, we can sure be hard on ourselves, can’t we. Thanks for reading and commenting.
This is a needed message for many people, including myself. Holding on to guilt of past mistakes does not allow us to move forward. I take my mistakes to God and ask for His forgiveness. Great message.
Melissa, the enemy is busy, busy accusing us, and Jesus is busy praying for us and defending us!
I love your distinction between disappointing God and causing Him sadness. Like our earthly fathers, when they show disappointment in us, it can cause woundedness. But if they love us unconditionally, we will never want to cause them sadness. It will spur us on to please them.
Sandra, you said that so well. We are spurred on to please those who love us unconditionally.