For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. ESV

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. NIV

We often hear people say, “I want what I deserve.” But is that actually true? 

It’s easy to think that what we deserve is fair treatment, a reward for our hard work, and friends who keep forgiving us. We like to think we deserve good things because we’ve put in a good effort. 

Not often do we admit that we miss the mark every day. We try to rationalize our sin by saying we aren’t that bad, or we are better than we used to be. We might even look down on our neighbor and think, “at least I’m better than him.”

Our sin clouds our view and causes us to forget that we all deserve death. But the Bible is very clear: the wages of sin is death. We deserve to pay the full penalty of our debt. 

When we truly understand the gospel and believe it is Good News, we realize that what we really want, we don’t deserve at all! 

Our souls actually long for the gifts of mercy, grace, and forgiveness that God alone can supply.

And He does! God supplies our every need according to His glorious riches. His blessings are necessary, they are undeserved, and they are far grander than anything this world can offer. He does not withhold His goodness from us, and He does not withhold His blessings, the greatest of which is salvation through Jesus. 

Tim Keller said it well: “The gospel is this: We are more sinful and flawed in ourselves than we ever dared believe, yet at the very same time we are more loved and accepted in Jesus Christ than we ever dared hope.”

If we want to reflect our Heavenly Father, let’s accept His gifts and pray that none of those we love get what they deserve. Instead, let's pray that they receive His unmerited grace, while we continuously thank Him for His abundant mercy over our own lives.

Jesus has not given us what we deserve. He has given us Himself.

Written by LeeAnn Randall