Expecting? What?

“A certain man lame from his mother's womb was carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple which is called Beautiful, to ask alms of them that entered into the temple; Who seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple asked an alms. And Peter, fastening his eyes upon him with John, said, Look on us. And he gave heed unto them, expecting to receive something of them. Then Peter said, Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk. And he took him by the right hand, and lifted him up: and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength. And he leaping up stood, and walked, and entered with them into the temple, walking, and leaping, and praising God. And all the people saw him walking and praising God:”¹

The man that normally sat at the gate of the temple asking for alms didn’t limit his good to small bits of money or he could never have received a healing from Peter and John.  He had to have an expectant heart and thought that someday life would become better than what he was living at that moment.  He had to have expectancy of something good because when Peter said, “Look on us. And he gave heed unto them, expecting to receive something of them”, he had to be mentally prepared for the grand occurrence that was about to follow.

Are we expecting good? Are we ready for ‘better’? Are we seeing the possibility of receiving healing, strength, an opportunity to praise God?  Or are we stuck in dark patterns of thought, followed by the same old, same old of yesterday brought today and through to tomorrow?  What are we expecting?

We must lift our lives through our thinking.  We must decided that Good is here.  We have to change our view from the depressing, dismal, uselessness in our thoughts to higher views of Good, being ever-present and ever available.  This will bring on a better Now. In other words, we have to start expecting Good to get Good.   How else could that beggar be lifted out of his circumstances into healing and praise?  We have to prepare our thoughts for better by expecting and thinking better.

Every time we are tempted to grumble or think that things are bad we need to change our thought from disgruntled to grateful. Every time we feel sad and lonely we must be ready to give instead of ‘get’.  Every time we feel uncomfortable, lazy, apathetic we need to turn our thoughts to sharing comfort, energizing our days by giving good, and getting excited about the opportunity to make other’s lives happier. 

A person that expects Good is a person that looks for and doesn’t miss the opportunity to give good.  A person that expects is the one that gains.

So let us turn our lives around by first turning our thoughts around.

“Through the love of God our Saviour
all will be well;
Free and changeless is His favor;
All must be well;

Precious is the Love that healed us,
Perfect is the grace that sealed us,
Strong the hand stretched forth to shield us;
All, all is well.

Though we pass through tribulation,
All will be well;
Ours is such a full salvation,
All must be well;

Happy still, in God confiding,
Fruitful, when in Christ abiding,
Holy, through the Spirit's guiding;
All, all is well.

We expect a bright tomorrow,
All will be well;
Faith can sing through days of sorrow,
All must be well;
While His truth we are applying,
And upon His love relying,
God is every need supplying,
All, all is well.”²

Expect Good and receive Greatness!

Gentle hug

1 The Acts of the Apostles chapter 3 vs. 2-9 from the King James Version of The Holy Bible
2 Christian Science Hymnal No. 350