Good Saturday morning! Winter is back; that is probably not news you wanted to hear this morning. Alas, that is the state of things out here, grey skies and cold fog may signal the start of snow soon. Do we deserve more snow or even rain? We know from our Bible reading that God causes the rain to fall upon the just and the unjust. That sounds like we qualify. However, do we really want to qualify under an all-inclusive proposition like that? Sometimes in this life you or I may feel that we do not deserve the bounty the Lord has given us. You might look around your house and wonder if you deserve to live in such a nice place. Two cars in the garage, a boat [horse, camper, moose, etc.] out back, and trying to decide what to wear is so very difficult among all those clothes, some of which even fit. Do we deserve this or is the hammer ready to fall? The question has been pondered by Christians ever since Jesus ascended to heaven. Should we sell the lot and give everything to the church? The first Christians in Jerusalem did, but remember that they also needed monetary help later. If God had intended for us to live under a socialistic form of government, would He have needed to tell us: Thou shalt not steal? One way to remove all theft is to make all property community property. That doesn't help the main point though, which is do you and I deserve what we have? Should we adopt the two brown robes in the closet? Should we even have a closet?
Let me ask us one question: do we deserve to gain eternal life through the death of Jesus on the cross? No, but we can receive that by believing in Jesus. Whatever you have now, whether you consider it plenty or poverty, God has given to you for your use. The correct feeling is not a questioning one, but a grateful one. In wondering whether we deserve our plenty, we might forget to give glory to God in gratitude for what we have. In complaining about our poverty, we might forget to thank God for taking care of our most basic needs. One question that might come up is: will God let his children starve? Since God has already assured us that we will be taken care of in this life and commanded us not to worry about our future needs; we do him a dishonor when we fret and worry about whether we deserve this or that and worry about tomorrow. Do we deserve whatever we have right now? No, we don't deserve any of it, just as we didn't deserve to be declared righteous by the blood of Christ. Should we share and enjoy all that we have with a grateful song on our lips, you bet!
Have a great Saturday, cold or not, in Christ Jesus!
Bucky
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