Devotion #5: What Do We Deserve?
Do you remember being a kid? Do you remember having to do hard and “unfair” yard work for your family or parents? As you probably know, when parents become grandparents, things tend to change. My second cousin, from time to time, will make an agreement with my aunt and uncle to do yard work for cash. However, one time, while I was visiting, my little cousin came inside and went to his grandpa (my uncle) and told him he owed him $25. This was a surprise to my uncle, so he asked my cousin why he owed him money. My cousin answered, “I saw weeds in the front yard and pulled them, so you need to pay me.”
The problem with this arrangement is that my uncle had not agreed to this. He did not ask this of him. He did not make this agreement with my little cousin. Yet, my cousin thought that he was entitled to his reward. This is the same way with God. At times, we can fall for the “I scratch your back, you scratch mine” or “I do this for you, and you do this for me,” but that is not the Gospel. It is not what Jesus says when it comes to salvation.
We see this clearly pictured in Matthew 7:21-23, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’”
Christ does not require progress, perfection, or even profession from us, but He requires possession. He wants all of you. He wants all of me. He desires our complete and total surrender to Him. Christ did not say, “Come to me all who work hard, live perfectly, and say nice things about me, and you will find your reward.” He says, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). The standard for salvation is complete and total perfection, but that perfection comes from Jesus. It is through Jesus alone that we become perfect, righteous, and saved.
When we come to Jesus with an “I” mentality, we are in the wrong state of mind. Salvation is about Jesus’ work, not ours. The Gospel is about Jesus’ power, might, and mercy. We should never come to Jesus as if He owes us something because, in all reality, we deserve nothing but death, Hell, and the grave. Ephesians 2:4-5 says, “But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ - by grace you have been saved.” Because Jesus so loved us, He took what we deserved and gave us what He deserved. So, in short, there is nothing we can do to earn Heaven; Jesus is the only way.
Today, my hope is that you will not be like my little cousin and work, work, and work, only realize that it was all for nothing. Just because you think you did something good and think you deserve a reward, does not mean that you are actually entitled to anything. If you take away anything from this devotion, please understand that salvation is surrender and submission; it is about what Christ has done, not what you and I do.