Are you getting what you deserve from life? It’s easy to see life as being unfair and from a human perspective, that’s true. When I was young, my mother even told me that life is not fair, so never expect it to be so. If life isn’t fair, then how can you get what you deserve? That question drives many to operate outside the law, or at least in questionable or unethical ways.
With advertising serving an unrelenting barrage of messages encouraging us to purchase their product because we deserve it, it only feeds our obsession. But what is the reality of what any of us deserve? As with all things, we must start with the Word of God when looking for answers to any of life’s questions. When we start there, we find the only thing any of us deserves is Hell (Romans 6:23; Matthew 25:46).
I have no doubt that will be the least popular message you hear today. None of us wants to give much thought to such truth. What you deserve, what I deserve, is not the accolades and pleasures of this world but an eternity in Hell with the Devil, his demons, and a host of other sinners who are lamenting their decisions in life (Revelation 20:15; Luke 16:22-24). There is nothing any of us can ever do to escape that fate (Ephesians 2:8-9; Isaiah 64:6). It is only the grace and mercy of God that keeps any of us from spending eternity in Hell (Titus 3:5; Lamentations 3:22-23).
If you were to get what you deserve, it wouldn’t be the best things in this life. What you deserve is not riches, fame, or success. Just like me, the only thing you or anyone else deserves is to endure the just punishment of our rejection of Christ (John 3:18; Hebrews 10:26-27). We get angry when things don’t go our way and blame the system, other people, or even God Himself. But the reality is anything you achieve or enjoy in this life is a gift from God despite what you deserve. We don’t earn anything (James 1:17). Every good thing in life comes from God (Psalm 84:11; Matthew 7:11).
The question shouldn’t be about what you deserve, but what does God deserve from us? He deserves our worship, our devotion, and our service (Romans 12:1; Colossians 3:23-24). Those are the only things we should concern ourselves with in this life. Nothing is about us; it’s all about Him (1 Corinthians 10:31). Are we so arrogant, naïve, or both to think anything in this world is about us? Who are we in the grand scheme of history (James 4:14; Psalm 144:3-4)?
The best thing any of us can do is to spend our lives giving to God everything He deserves (Deuteronomy 10:12; Matthew 22:37-38). Don’t worry about what you deserve. By now you should see you don’t want that anyway! If I get what I deserve, then I have no hope. My only hope is in the grace and mercy of God and the salvation He offers through the life, death, and resurrection of His Son (John 3:16; Ephesians 1:7).
Jesus didn’t get what He deserved; He was sinless, and they killed Him for it (2 Corinthians 5:21; 1 Peter 3:18). Because of that sacrifice, none of us needs to get what we deserve. Instead of eternity in Hell, we can spend eternity with Christ in Heaven (John 14:2-3; Philippians 3:20). That’s not what we deserve, but it is what Jesus offers (Titus 2:11-14). It’s so much better than what we deserve.