Better than I deserve’

We are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong” (Luke 23:41).

The shelves in the local big box stores, and the advertising on the web is already turning our eyes toward Christmas trees and presents.

Overlooked is an upcoming holiday that is one of my favorites—Thanksgiving. Even though we are still days away from Thanksgiving, it is good for us to take some time to remember why we should give thanks to the God of the Bible.

Why should we bother to give thanks to God?  

Actually, it is a thief hanging on a cross who reminds us of the reason. 

It is a thief hanging on a cross next to Jesus who reminds a fellow criminal, “We are getting what we deserve.  But this Jesus has done nothing wrong” (Luke 23:41).

Because of this thing called pride, we tend to walk around in life thinking we deserve everything we have.   In fact, we often feel that we deserve a whole lot more than we have. 

Wrong!

Take a look at a cross.   Sadly, it takes a thief to remind us, “This is what we deserve.”

Jesus did nothing wrong.  Yet there He was, hanging on a cross for the sins of the world.  He was taking the punishment that we deserve, after having lived a perfect life, the life we should have lived.

And how about us?  We’d like to think of ourselves as good, God-fearing, commandment-keeping people. But are we? Do we love God with our heart and soul and mind? Do we love our neighbors as much as ourselves?

An Anglican pastor by the name of William Temple lived in the early 1900s. He shared a little self-test to discover who or what is your god.  William described the test like this.  “Pretend you’re sitting on a nice park bench in town somewhere for two hours. You don’t have anything to read. No one is sitting with you. You are all alone.  What thoughts occupy your mind during that time?”

Temple goes on, “Where your mind tends to dwell during that time … whether it is thinking about money … or entertainment . . . or relationships … did you even think about talking to your heavenly Father for a millisecond? Wherever your mind dwells during that two hours, will give you a pretty good picture of your god . . . what is most important in your life.”

So what is this turkey, this table full of food, these closets full of clothes, this garage so full of stuff that we can hardly get the car inside, this storage shed full of stuff?   That’s not what we deserve.  It’s just a bucket full of things we don’t deserve.  God has been more than gracious.

The thief on the cross had it right.  This Jesus was taking what we deserved.

How are you doing today? The Christian answer? ”Better than I deserve.”

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