What do you deserve?

I am sure that you have heard many times from people, "you deserve that." One day I will blog about my testimony and maybe some of you would say I deserve ___________. But the truth is we don't deserve anything but death. Oh did I type say that out loud. Yes I did! The only thing that we all deserve in this life is death but guess what as Beth Moore says "the creator promised death and delivered life!
" Hallelujah! Praise the Lord!

In Romans 8:31-32, it says, "What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all – how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?" God loved us so much that he did not spare his ONLY Son! Could you imagine taking the life of your ONLY child for the world? For this world that we live in today! Just think what Abraham must have been thinking when God asked him to take his son, Isaac, and sacrifice him. God was testing Abraham at this moment and boy how I wish I could have the discipline, obedience, faith and unconditional love that Abraham showed that day. (Genesis 22:1-19) Don't you know if it was you or I being asked to do this, at least I can speak for myself, that I would be thinking okay Lord I am trusting that I really am not going to have to go through with this request you have asked of me. Thank the Lord he is not asking us to do that today but we are asked to make sacrifices each and every day.

Think about the title of this blog, "What do you deserve?" What would your response be if I met you today and asked you this question? Would you be honest with me and yourself about what you truly deserve? Would you tell me you deserve a new car; the latest gadget; a shopping spree; to be debt free; what would it be? I don't deserve anything that I have but you can bet that I am truly grateful for everything that has come in and out of my life. I really don't even deserve God's forgiveness but He sent His ONLY Son to die on the cross; to die a horrible death for MY SINS and He still loves me. That just blows my mind that we serve such an awesome, loving, forgiving, gracious, merciful, wonderful, unconditional Father.

If we go back a few more verses from what we just looked at it states in Romans 8:28 "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." In my bible it says in the sidelines: "Let's be crystal clear here. God works everything in believers' lives for their "good." This doesn't mean that everything works for pleasant lifestyles, enjoyable futures and happiness. The "good" here, though it isn't defined or specified, is to be understood as a spiritual and eternal "good." God uses everything in believers' lives – and often the difficult things in their lives – to remake them, to transform them into the likeness of his Son. Everything that happens to us – the easy, the difficult, the grief, the pain, the joy – has one purpose to make us more like Jesus."

So again I ask the question today: What do you deserve? I would love to hear from each of you and what you are struggling with in your personal walk.

What will you do today to be more like Jesus?