Expectation

I’m a big sports fan. I grew up cheering for the Cincinnati Reds, the Cleveland Browns, and the Chicago Bulls. For most of my childhood and into college, those were some really great teams to cheer for. I saw the Browns in the playoffs almost every year, the Reds won a World Series in 1990, and the Chicago Bulls won six titles on two threepeats. When I sat down to watch these teams play, my expectation was always that we would come out as winners. Fast forward 20 years, and that expectation has been flipped. The Reds can’t seem to end a season with an above .500 record, the Bulls have never been the same since Michael Jordan retired, and the Browns actually had a stretch where they only won 1 game over the course of two years. Needless to say, I don’t expect wins as often now. I want wins, but I don’t expect them. 

With all of that said, there is one team that has consistently given me hope throughout the college football season. Losses are rare, and they consistently are playing for conference and national titles. That team is my beloved Ohio State Buckeyes. On most Saturdays in the fall I have the upmost confidence that my team will come out victorious. I expect to see the team celebrating with the fans in Columbus by singing Carmen Ohio, a tradition that’s more than 20 years old. Needless to say, when your team is a winner, you expect wins. That expectation isn’t arrogance. It’s confidence that your team is capable and trustworthy to bring out the best results. 

That’s the desire of every team, right? Shouldn’t we want to be on a team that will always come out on top? Life as a fan is a lot easier when you have that kind of trust in your team. Even more so, if you are on the team, shouldn’t this be your expectation? Shouldn’t we all expect to win when we go out onto the field or the court? I know I’d be much more confident if I knew the outcome before I ever set foot on the field of play. It’s really easy to have a higher expectation when we know we’ll win. This is one of the greatest aspects of being a disciple. We already know the outcome. 

“The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever.”
 Revelation 11:15

We know who wins! How incredible is that?!?!?!? So why do we walk around in fear when we should walk in complete confidence? Why are we afraid to tell others about Christ when we already know the outcome is in our favor? Instead of fear, we should be driven; driven to tell others about our God, driven to see a lost world saved, and driven to live lives that are sold-out expressions of worship to God. Being on the winning team means we should walk into every situation with expectation. 

Yes, and I will rejoice, for I know that through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will turn out for my deliverance, 20 as it is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.
Philippians 1:18–21

When we walk as disciples of Christ, we walk with confidence in knowing that we win in life and in death. Here on earth, we live a life of love and service, putting others before ourselves and finding joy in celebrating a risen Savior that has given his life for us. We find satisfaction is living in His will and His purpose for our lives. Our excitement comes from seeing others come to Him as a life changed by the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Victory after victory comes when we are diligent in serving Him. Will there be hard times? Of course! Those times pale in comparison, however, to the joy we have in our service to Him. 

In death, we know what our future holds. Our victory is ultimate. It is grander than a Super Bowl trophy or gold medal in the Olympics. Winning the lottery doesn’t scratch the surface of our reward in Heaven. We have a mansion waiting for us. We have streets of gold to walk on. Greater than any of that, though, is being the presence of God and Christ Jesus. Nothing in all of creation can compare to that. The Creator of the universe and all that we know will be standing in our midst. Sorrow, pain, and anger will be removed. We will live eternally in the greatest city ever created….and Kentucky allergies will be no more. 

So what do we do with this knowledge?

Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight. Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
Romans 12:9–21

When we raise our expectations of what the Holy Spirit will do, we can live like Paul described in that passage. Love becomes the motive for everything. We realize the fleeting nature of this world and stop focusing on the temporary. When we come to a Sunday worship gathering, we expect to hear God’s Word and learn from it. We expect a movement of His Spirit in the people. When we change our mindset from being on a losing team to realizing we’ve already won, what can stop us?