God's Expectations

[SalixIncendium]

What are God's expectations of you? Where did you learn of these?

Are there rewards meeting these expectations? If so, what are they? What are the implications, if any, of not meeting them?

 

[Katzpur]

What are God's expectations of you?

I believe God expects me to love, respect, honor and trust Him and to acknowledge His hand in all of my blessings. I also believe He expects me to live my life in such a way that when I return to His presence, I will be a better person than I was before.

Where did you learn of these?

Mostly from God.

Are there rewards meeting these expectations?

Yes.

If so, what are they?

Happiness and a feeling of satisfaction and contentment.

What are the implications, if any, of not meeting them?

Disappointment and sadness.

 

[SalixIncendium]

Mostly from God.

When you say "mostly from God," do you mean through direct conversation or by some other medium?

 

[Sunstone]

What are God's expectations of you? Where did you learn of these?

Are there rewards meeting these expectations? If so, what are they? What are the implications, if any, of not meeting them?

If there is a god, I would think one of four things is most probable:

God has no expectations of us at all.

We are all god in some way and will eventually realize this over many lifetimes (The Eastern Response).

God expects us to use what god has given us to become strong individuals who are as true to ourselves as can be within the context of being socially and environmentally responsible (The Western Response).

Or all of the above in some way.​

 

[arthra]

What are God's expectations of you? Where did you learn of these? Are there rewards meeting these expectations? If so, what are they? What are the implications, if any, of not meeting them?

For me the "expectations" are Divinely revealed through the Manifestation of God for this age... so these include daily prayers, occasional Fasting once a year and "living the life" of a Baha'i.

The "rewards" far exceed any of my expectations! For me a life of happiness and stability has proceeded and I look forward to the next life (when my soul ascends from the material plane!) after this one..

 

[Katzpur]

When you say "mostly from God," do you mean through direct conversation or by some other medium?

LOL. I knew that statement would raise more questions. Okay... so let me see if I can answer this question in a way you'll find satisfactory. I was raised Mormon. I attended church every week with my parents. They were both practicing Mormons, but they were kind of what I would describe as "atypical" Mormons. My dad, in particular, was a deep thinker. He always encouraged me to think for myself and to ask questions and to never feel guilty about any doubts I might have concerning anything I might hear taught in a church setting. My mom was just really a compassionate person who showed me by her example how a believer in Christ should behave. So anyway, I've always been a questioner, and while I believe most of what I would describe as the "core doctrines" of my religion, there have always been things that I have had a hard time accepting.

There have been times when I've felt kind of guilty about this (despite my father's best efforts to make this not be the case), and recently, when I confided in my husband and told him of my doubts, he said something like, "I'm really not bothered when I don't see eye to eye with other people in the church or believe everything they do. I believe everything God has taught me, but I don't worry about what human beings are telling me I should or shouldn't believe." I realized then, that he was referring "the Spirit" (a.k.a. the Holy Ghost). Mormons believe that the only way it is possible for a person to recognize the validity of any spiritual truths is for the Holy Ghost to testify to his mind and heart that they are, in fact, truths. Since I believe that the Holy Ghost is part of the Godhead, when I say that my beliefs about God's expectations come "mostly through [Him]," I'm saying that I have felt a spiritual confirmation of certain things. I haven't heard an audible voice or anything of the sort, and none of what I believe has come about through any sort of epiphany. I've just felt that God has spoken to me in very subtle ways through the Holy Ghost and told me the things He really cares whether I believe or not. And that probably doesn't make any sense to anyone who hasn't had the same sort of experience.

 

[Tumah]

What are God's expectations of you?

To follow the full body of Jewish Law and theology to the best of my ability at any given time.

Where did you learn of these?

From the books that describe them.

Are there rewards meeting these expectations? If so, what are they?

The main reward is unknown. The idea seems to be a more elevated degree of connection to G-d. Some things have added rewards to them, like long life.

What are the implications, if any, of not meeting them?

It varies depending on the type of sin. It can mean difficult death, dying early, losing children, misc. sufferings or time in the rectification chamber (re: hell).

 

[Jumi]

Be good. Well, I'm not sure if that's an expectation or a facilitator in connection of like and like.

 

[Jayhawker Soule]

What are God's expectations of you?

And, for extra credit, how is having expectations consistent with being omniscient?

 

[Quintessence]

The angle this question takes for a polytheist is a bit different.

Presuming that various gods bother to have expectations of a human, those expectations are inevitably going to conflict as the gods have different natures or essences. For the polytheist, it's about asking which gods you want to develop relationships with, whether or not one believes there are expectations involved. You can only invest your time in so many places. It's not about the rewards, it's about showing proper honor and devotion to the gods you choose to worship.

Most of the gods I actively worship lack expectations as they are not capable of forming any. Expectations are, for the most part, a silly human thing - it's humans projecting norms onto reality. The gods I honor are reality. I mean, I suppose from a certain point of view you could say the Spirit of Gravity "expects" you to splat on the ground if you walk off a cliff, but... eeh... not how I'd frame it.

 

[Shushersbedamned]

What are God's expectations of you? Where did you learn of these?

Are there rewards meeting these expectations? If so, what are they? What are the implications, if any, of not meeting them?

He has no expectations. He knows I will do my best. I feel it in my heart.

 

[Shushersbedamned]

And, for extra credit, how is having expectations consistent with being omniscient?

He might not be omniscient

 

[Reaper]

I agree with much of what @Quintessence said. I don't believe the Gods have specific expectations for me, rather I think they have things they'd like me to do and not do.
If we're talking about that then they'd likely want me to not break oaths, maintain strong connections to kin, show hospitality, those sorts of things.

 

[TheBannerofHomuraAkemi]

What are God's expectations of you? Where did you learn of these?

Are there rewards meeting these expectations? If so, what are they? What are the implications, if any, of not meeting them?

Hmm If God has expectations like my real family he's surely in for a long list of disappointments.