Never Disappointed

For the Scripture says, "Whoever believes in Him will not be disappointed." Rom 10:11

Imagine that you lived in a world where nothing lets you down. All politicians do what they promise, your job is secure, products work as advertised, everyone thinks you are great, your church exceeds your expectations and your pastor never makes mistakes or offends you.

In motivational seminars they often ask, “What would you do in life if you knew you would never fail?” They then offer to sell you a product that will help you achieve that goal, and if it does not work you will be disappointed with the people who sold it to you, disappointed that you couldn’t fulfill that dream and disappointed at yourself for either buying that product or not having the initiative or talent to make it work.

Yet God promises that in such a world of guaranteed pain and failure it is possible to NEVER BE DISAPPOINTED. That is, if we trust in Him. But what does it mean to trust in Him? The list of scenarios are as long as life itself, but trust in God implies ultimate trust and this is where we can begin in our understanding of never being disappointed.

Ultimate Value: If you allow anyone on this planet to define you or ascribe value to you then you will be disappointed. The best that I can do even as a Christian leader is let you know how God values you, but I might also be having a bad day and by not being as polite as I should you might judge your value by the amount of attention that I give. This is a best case scenario – it happens in every church every Sunday - but this world is even meaner and will rip you apart with unkindness. However, God shows us how He values us by what He gave to save us, His only Son. Jn 3:16

Ultimate Purpose: Forrest Gump asked his mama if he had a destiny, but even his mama could not fully define his destiny and she truly loved him. We are not feathers floating around to nice theme music. The reality is more like hopscotch in a mine field at times.

God defines our purpose, but He does not wind up our lives like a toy and then walk away while we stumble through the pitfalls of this world alone. He is actively fulfilling His promises and causing all things to work together for ultimate good. Even when man lets us down by dropping the ball of our lives – case in point the life of Joseph – God is the one who is really in control. It is a promise. Rom 8:28

Ultimate Accountability: I am accountable to many people, but ultimately I am only accountable to God. If I seek His face and obey Him the best that I can and still am not successful by man’s standards I can be content. I am called to obedience. I am also called to fruitfulness, but that fruitfulness is based on abiding in Him and may not always be deemed success by this world or even by some in the church. By some of the standards that I hear these days people would even call the life of Jesus a failure if I were to tell the same story in a modern setting and change the names. The same would go for the Apostle Paul. But God was pleased, well-pleased!

God never promised freedom from pain in this life. He never promised that people would not let us down. He never promised that everyone would love us and be for us and be excited about our destinies. But He did promise that our hearts would never be broken by Him, and if we will come to Him with broken hearts, He will heal us. He also made a few more promises that will not fit in this post, over 3000.

And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us. Rom 5:3-5