“Come now, let us reason together, says the LORD: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool.” Isaiah 1:18 ESV
I can’t help but cringe when I hear comments like “I deserve more.” “I deserve better.” “I just want to get everything that I deserve.”
Certainly, there are times when I understand the sentiment and my heart goes out to the one who feels that they have been unfairly treated, misused, or abused. Those unjust situations are not what I’m referring to as I write.
Nor am I talking about times when hard work should be recognized and rewarded, or commendations given for diligent efforts invested in a project or initiative.
I’m talking about the growing attitude in our society that says, “Just because I am – because I exist, ‘you’ owe me.” The definition of “You” is endless and may refer to parents, neighbors, teachers, bosses, place of employment, society, the state and governmental organizations, and even, God. It’s that air of entitlement that expects favor even though there is no behavior, achievement, or effort to accomplish anything of value that warrants merit, recognition, or appreciation.
Here’s a small sample of the many “I deserve” quotes I found online:
- “I just want everything that I deserve because I’ve dealt with everything that I didn’t deserve.”
- “You deserve to be happy. You deserve to live a life you are excited about.”
- “Never settle for less than you deserve.”
- “I deserve the best and I accept the best now.”
- “Sometimes all you have to do is forget what you feel and remember what you deserve.”
- “You deserve better. It’s as simple as that.”
Do people even understand the meaning of the word “deserve” anymore?
Deserve Defined: To earn, to be or make worthy of (as a reward or punishment). Synonyms: To merit, earn, qualify, or be entitled to. Merriam-Webster.com
None of the statements above make any claim to having earned, qualified for, merited, or are entitled to deserving more. They are simply statements of “I am, so I deserve.”
Where has this inflated sense of self come from?
When did we become so entitled?
What makes us think that we deserve anything?
If you think about it, you’ll realize these statements are all variations of the original lie of Satan in the Garden of Eden.
The serpent enticed Eve to eat the forbidden fruit because he convinced her that she deserved more than all that God had generously given to her and Adam in the perfection of Eden – she could be like God. From the moment that she bit into the fruit and convinced Adam to bite as well; sin entered the world.
That sin erased any “deserving” that we might ever have hoped for.
Scripture tells us that the only thing that we are deserving of is God’s judgment. God’s Word reminds us that we are born into a sin-filled world and that we are sin-stained from our very beginning.
Surely, I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me.
Psalm 51:5 NIV
King David, a man after God’s heart, the sweet Psalmist of Israel, committed adultery and then attempted to cover it up by murdering the husband of the woman he had gotten pregnant. Later when the prophet Nathaniel told the King about a poor man whose precious pet lamb was seized and slaughtered by a rich man to serve as the main course for a visiting wealthy friend, King David was incensed (2 Samuel 12:1-15).
As the Lord lives, the man who has done this deserves to die…!
2 Samuel 12:5
As David sentenced the man to death for his crime, Nathaniel cried out, “You are the man!” (12:7) David was crushed. He knew that his sin had been exposed. He deserved no mercy. He had pronounced his own death sentence.
BUT GOD. What sweet words to the ears and heart of every redeemed sinner…but God heard David’s desperate prayer of repentance:
O God,
I plead for Your mercy even though I know I don’t deserve it.
But I know that Your love never fails. In Your great compassion, blot out this horrible thing that I have done. Wash me clean from my guilt, rebellion, and shame.
I admit my guilt and am haunted by it.
I have sinned against You and have done great evil in Your sight.
Your verdict for me, whatever it may be, is right. You are the righteous and just judge.
Don’t look at my wickedness. Give me a pure and right heart, O God. Wash me white as snow and renew my spirit so that I can serve You faithfully again.
Please don’t send me away from You or take Your Spirit away from me. Let me know the joy of Your saving grace once again. I am shattered and undone.
I have nothing to give You, God but a broken and repentant heart and spirit. Forgive me God and do not despise me.
Psalm 51:1-4, 9-12 (paraphrase)
David knew what he deserved. He deserved the death penalty. But God in His grace and mercy, forgave David, and the relationship was restored. David did not get what he deserved.
Yes, there was a time of discipline for David, and he did not escape the long-term consequences of his sin. But his sins were forgiven, and he escaped the penalty of death.
I am and shall ever be eternally grateful that I do not get what I deserve.
If all these people, so eager to get what they deserve, fully understood the eternal consequences of such a statement, they would close their mouths and run as fast as possible in the other direction. Or better yet, maybe they would run straight to the Father and throw themselves on His mercy and beg for His forgiveness and grace.
Thank God, in His abundant grace and mercy, He has chosen not to give me what I deserve, but instead lavishes His love upon me daily.
This I know, that God is for me. In God, whose word I praise, in the LORD, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I shall not be afraid. What can man do to me? I must perform my vows to you, O God; I will render thank offerings to you. For You have delivered my soul from death, yes, my feet from falling, that I may walk before God in the light of life.
Psalm 56:9-13
For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 6:23 ESV