One of the things that irritates me is going into a store and buying an electronic tool (okay, it’s probably more apt to be a toy), then being asked if I want to add an extended warranty to go along with it? Sure, if it were free, I’d be happy to take it; but there is generally a caveat that it is going to cost me another $29.95. If you ever see me in line and you hear me muttering to the clerk or the automatic checkout cashier, I am probably merely saying, “No, I just want it to work.”. I don’t want extra protection; I just want the product to last long enough to do what it supposed to be doing. I am not in the market for a guarantee, I am just wanting to buy a product that lives up to what it says on the box for a reasonable period of time.
The reason for my sharing this pet peeve of mine is I wonder if God ever gets frustrated with us? He has offered to provide us with forgiveness and a value-packed life … all we need to do is do what we are supposed to do! He isn’t interested in our grandiose plans – He wants us to follow His instructions. He doesn’t rally care about how we feel about life as much as expecting us to live it the way He called us to live it. He isn’t swayed by promises, He wants performance. When Jesus was interacting with His earliest disciples He said, “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter.” (Matthew 7:21). In essence, Jesus says He just wants us to work – to live up to the expectations He has for us.
Let’s live up to the commitment we made to the Lord. When we do, we’ll have the assurance that we’ll be valuable in His service for a long, long time.