Deserve

I don’t know if I’d call it a peculiar thing about myself but I really enjoy taking notice of minutiae. The little things. Nuance. I'm aware of how irritating that can be in conversation so I’m also careful of the context with which I embrace it, but when appropriate…I like finding understanding and meaning in the subtle.
I blame Romans 1, which talks about how God’s divine nature and eternal power are ‘clearly’ evident in creation itself. On a grand scale as well as the tiny, creeping things; this world is quite magnificent, but compared to the vastness of God’s divine nature and eternal power, I would call nature inexcusably clear, yet subtle…there’s much more to God.
So I look for fingerprints – little evidences of the powers at work in our world. Often times I’m provoked to say out loud, “See, that’s how you know…” (that there's a LOT going on behind the scenes)

This idea applies to good things as well as bad.
Take for instance, the things that affect our disposition. A few days ago, I had my Fitbit confiscated at work. Now if I were one of those people who live and die by a Fitbit, I can see how that can be a pretty big deal. I’m not that guy but because work has been a bit heavier lately with a few changes and challenges, I saw a subtle thing happening: a feeling started to try and seize control of my heart and steal my joy – I started feeling like “I don’t deserve this”. Those were the words, and they could’ve just as easily been “I deserve better than this”…or several other variations, maybe you know a few.
Thank God! Paying attention to the little things pays off: I recognized those fingerprints – That’s how you know there’s a devil.


Here’s The Word:

Genesis 3:1 Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, Yes, has God said, You shall not eat of every tree of the garden?

Genesis 3:4 – 6 And the serpent said to the woman, You shall not surely die: For God does know that in the day you eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and you shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took

When you look at the interaction between Eve and the serpent, notice the subtlety. He first asks a question about something she should’ve already been more solidified in, but his question leads her to question.
Then, his outright lie passes by the eyes rather quickly – he doesn’t spend much time at all lying about God’s words, he simply says “you won’t” and proceeds to influence a personal enticement of how she deserves the good of the fruit. He doesn’t force her to do wrong, he makes her want to do wrong by putting her in a position of feeling she deserves better.

This is where we need to be wise of the enemy’s tricks and respond rightly when they come upon us. The devil don't mind you having a big red letter bible engraved in gold with you and your pastor's name on the dedication page as long as he can still draw you away from righteousness by simply impressing you with what “you deserve”.

This goes easy for him because most of us have such an aversion to a “hard” life. However, the Bible is replete with evidence that we are often called to make hard choices and endure hard things...even suffering for righteousness sake (1 Peter 3:14). It proves who we are in Christ since most times it takes the power of the Holy Spirit to make those choices, endure and trust that God will fulfill the good of it in His time, not ours.

Remember, the correct expectation is faithful obedience. What payment should we expect for simply doing what we're supposed to do? This helps us understand that ANY good in our lives is not OWED to us, especially knowing that our obedience is 'lacking' to say the least. The bible says that every good and perfect gift comes from above(James 1:17) ...so everything good in your life IS a gift that we should be thankful (and show appreciation) for.

Foregoing what we deserve in order to better represent the Name and Character of Christ would change things for us: It would change how we act in traffic, change how deal with a bad boss, change how we feel to retaliate when we feel someone is disrespecting us and change how tenderly we seek peace with people even when they’re the wrong one. All of these examples have bible references that deal directly with them. Don’t believe me, check Colossians 3.

Be thankful! If we can really get past ourselves and consider what we REALLY deserve – we’re fallen, stubborn, unappreciative and wholly undeserving of much else other than stern correction or outright destruction from a Sovereign God, to Whom I’m sure that our ‘fist waving deservings’ reek of that stench first emanated in Genesis 3 which has been recorded and given to us so we would take caution and know …
…that’s how you know there’s a devil.


In Him,
Cros