40 Days At The Well, Day 3 - Pastor Jeffery A. Wilson

Here is a great devotion from my good friend and author, Pastor Jeff Wilson…

“Go ahead, treat yourself. You deserve it!” We’ve heard — and probably said — that phrase more times than we can count. And there are times that it is appropriate. Something we said, did, or endured earned us the right to whatever it was we wanted. As I thought about that phrase, though, my mind turned (as it most often does) to the spiritual side of things.

In reality, I was thinking about this generation of kids. Having two myself and being the stepparent of one (making it 3 in our house at times) makes things interesting. To be quite honest, there seems to be a sense of entitlement or deserving things regardless of attitudes or actions. It would be funny if it wasn’t so frustrating at times. “No” has become a regular part of my vocabulary…but I digress. There really is a point to this…I promise.

As the kids (and their attitude of deserving) rolled around on my mind I began to compare it to my own attitudes toward God. What I realized is that I really don’t get from Him what I deserve. I feel like I do so well until I begin to realize that, many times, the things I do are part of my checklist. I pat myself on the back because I’m doing such a great job and then wonder why God isn’t beaming about the things I do.

The book of Job starts out in an interesting way. “…Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil. (Job 1:8)” God says that Job is an upstanding guy. A man who ran from evil. I really think it is more than that though. I believe that his heart was right before God. Here’s why. We know that God is the same…that He never changes (Hebrews 13:8). We also know that through His word He judges the thoughts and actions of the heart (Hebrews 4:12). Because of these things God wasn’t looking at Job’s actions but at his heart. And Job was right in his heart.

All too often we get upset at God because He doesn’t give us what we think we deserve. But have we stopped and considered the motivation behind wanting those things? Are we acting like our kids and thinking that it is God’s job to take care of us…so we should get everything we want? Or have we understood that we deserve nothing because of our sin…our failure to love God with all of our heart. And it is in our heart that we feel like we either deserve something from God or we want to give something to God.

I don’t know about you…but I really don’t want God to give me what I deserve. I want to say what David did, “Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. (Psalm 51:10)” So my prayer would go something like this…

God, forgive me for the times that I got upset because I didn’t get what I thought I deserved. I know that Your grace and mercy give me more than I ever really do deserve. Purify my heart, mind, and motivations so that they really do please You. Thank You for all the unseen blessings that you give me every day. And may I be deserving of your grace through your Son, Jesus.

Wilson, Jeffrey A.. 40 Days At The Well . 6:3 Ministries. Kindle Edition.