By Lamont H. Fuchs, Ed. D.,
excerpt from “Preacher Spurs”, Christian Faith Publishers, 2022
And what is that, exactly? What do we deserve? Does anyone owe us anything? This nation? This county? Does your mom or your dad owe you anything? Does your brother or your sister? How about your kids? Do they owe you anything? Do those rich folks that have everything owe you something? Does your local church owe you for giving all that money each Sunday? Does God owe us anything? If so, what did you do to deserve it?
My folks brought me into this world, and they should owe me a living, education, money – they owe me all they own. I am their kid. Not really, you are a grown-up and are responsible for yourself.
Why do all those rich folks have everything, and I don’t? Good question! What they have is what God gave them, whether they think they earned it or not. He shines on those He chooses and rains on those He chooses. That is called God’s sovereignty.
Now we are at the root of it all. Why doesn’t God just give it to me? He brought me here. He made me who I am. He put me in this circumstance. He’s keeping me here for some reason. Didn’t you say He loves me? What is up with that?
You are right. You figured it out. God will give you all you deserve.
Romans 2 tells us that those who judge others and remain in their sin will also be judged and receive God’s wrath. Romans 3:23 says “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”; Romans 6:23 says, “For the wages of sin is death”; You get what you deserve.
You are a sinner, just like me – a sinner. Do you see? It doesn’t matter if you work in a high-rise building making six figures a year, voted into office, or drive a fancy car; you could be in prison, working at McDonald’s, or a preacher standing in the pulpit. Everyone sins. Everyone does not sin the same way, but we all fall short of God’s glory. Sinners cheat and swindle, lie and steal, beat their wives, abuse their kids, curse the older adult driving slow on the highway, pray to God and maybe even go to church every Sunday. Every day sinners hate and talk about their neighbor like a dog, thinking dirty wicked evil thoughts. I am a sinner, you are a sinner, and everyone else is too. And we will get what we all deserve.
Just because some sinners didn’t get caught does not mean God doesn’t know what we’ve done. We cannot fix this. You will get what you deserve. Some will get their punishment here on earth, but everyone will be judged before God in our afterlife.
Do you deserve to be arrested for what you have done? Do you deserve to get slapped around, punched, and kicked? Do you deserve to get spit on and cussed at and accused of stuff you didn’t do? Do you deserve to get whipped until your back and every inch of your body is bleeding? Do you deserve to be tied to a tree and nailed through your hands and feet? Do you deserve to hang on that tree for hours until you suffocate and die?
I know someone who didn’t deserve any of that. That someone gave himself up to take your place for all that punishment for you and ALL the junk you ever did. You! Your sins. My sins. Her sins. His sins. The sins of the entire world. Everything we deserve, He took for us.
Why? So, you wouldn’t get what you deserve – death. See? Let me read you all of Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death; but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord”.
And John 3:17 says, “For God sent not the Son into the world to judge the world; but that the world should be saved through him”.
God made way for you to be forgiven of all your sins, so you could be acceptable to Him – for He is Holy, and He gave His Holy Son to pay the price of your sins and to make you Holy. Then He raised Jesus from the dead, and He will do the same for me and everyone who is saved from death through Christ Jesus. Jesus is alive today and listens to our prayers every minute of every day, sitting at the right hand of God. Jesus took the punishment for you, and all you must do is accept the fact he did it, not as a mere man, but as God. He did it to save you, redeem you from your sins, and the ultimate penalty of death.
Do you deserve that? No. You and I can never do anything in this lifetime to deserve what God gives to us through Jesus. That is grace. Grace is what God gives freely to all who will receive it. I’m going to pray for you to make the right choice and that you will accept this gift.
Pray your prayer as the Spirit leads.
