GREAT EXPECTATIONS by Pastor TOTO Gustilo

What are the 3 most important things you are expecting God will grant you before this month ends?

“Expectation is like a gate which opens us to (Godly) realities and realizations.” To expect is like the idea of asking in the Bible. Matthew 7:7-8 (NIV) "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. [FACT] For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened." In plain words, “What you see coming to you life is what you will get.”

Again: “Expectation is like a gate which opens us to (Godly) realities and realizations.” Gate – the first entry point. Open – exposes, shows or REVEALS. Realities – God opens our MIND. > Thus the importance of DOCTRINE (God’s Information). Realization – God opens our HEART. He speaks to our heart. ….only achievable when we meditate.

Why the “Heart”? Because, the “heart” is the core of human spirit that must belong only to God. Same as the Filipino concept of "KALOOBAN" Henri Nouwen says: "The heart is the “center of our being where God comes to dwell with us and bring us the divine gifts of trust, hope and love....The heart allows us to enter into relationships and experience that we are sons and daughters of God.”

Psalm 4:7 (NIV) declares “Deep calls to deep.” Therefore heart speaks to heart! As St. Augustine proclaims: “Our hearts are restless until they find their rest in Thee.”

Let’s now open our minds and HEARTS to God…

What Must We Expect from God?
1. Expect that GOD is GOOD-“Oh Pastor that’s basic” … Yes it’s true …But everything that’s basic is also fundamental.Psalm 34:8 (NIV) declares: "Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him." Reality: Word “good” (heb) may also mean “moral goodness” …God is the Highest Good! In Philosophy: summum bonum can be happiness, pleasure, knowledge etc.) Why is God life’s summum bonum? Because apart from him there is no good(ness). He is the source of all goodness. No man can know the good unless he knows God is a right relation and does his will. Mark 10:18 (NIV) says: “… ‘No one is good except God alone.’ “…. Realization: Receive God’s goodness then you will also be good, do good deeds and receive good things from God. Psalm 34:10 (NIV) exposes: "The lions may grow weak and hungry, but those who seek the LORD lack no good thing."

2. Expect that GOD is GREAT - Reality: “Great” (heb) in relation to God means “intensity.” (matindi) …God and his power is so intense! Jeremiah 10:6 (NIV)says: "No one is like you, O LORD; you are great, and your name is mighty in power." Realization: Embrace God’s intensity then you will be a powerful person. Key: NEVER LIMIT GOD! Ephesians 3: 17b-19 (NIV) states: "…And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge--that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God."

3. Expect that GOD is GLORIOUS - What is higher than success? Answer: “SIGNIFICANCE!” The road to significance is God’s glory. Therefore you ask the question: Is my life and career glorifying God? Reality: “Glory“ (heb) means “difficult, weight, heaviness, worthiness, reputation and honor. God is full of glory! (Note: The word "glory" is hard to describe: 25 Hebrew words translated as DOZA in greek.) Realization: Live God’s glory by soaking in his presence and speaking about him. Psalm 145:5-6 (NIV) states: "They will speak of the glorious splendor of your majesty, and I will meditate on your wonderful works. They will tell of the power of your awesome works, and I will proclaim your great deeds." Worship must always precede Work!


What will I need to do to experience God’s GOODNESS, GREATNESS & GLORY?