MORE
THAN WE DESERVE
READ:
Psalm
103:6-18
He
has not dealt with us
according
to our sins, nor
punished
us according to
our
iniquities. –Psalm 103:10
Sometimes when people ask how I’m doing,
I reply, “Better than I deserve.” I remember a well-meaning person
responding, “Oh no, Joe, you deserve a
lot,” to which I replied, “Not
really.” I was thinking about what I
truly deserve-God’s judgment.
We easily forget how sinful we are at
the core of our being. Thinking of
ourselves more highly than we should diminishes our sense of deep indebtedness
to God for His grace. It discounts the
price He paid to rescue us.
Time for a reality check! As the psalmist reminds us, God “has not dealt with us according to our
sins, nor punished us according to our iniquities” (Psalm 103:10). Considering
who we are in light of a holy and just God, the only thing we truly deserve is
hell. And heaven is an absolute
impossibility-except for the gift of Christ’s sacrifice on the cross. If God never does anything more than redeem
us, He has already done far more than we deserve. No wonder the psalmist says, “As the heavens are high above the earth, so
great is His mercy toward those who fear Him” (v.11).
Knowing ourselves for what we are, we
can’t help but say, “Amazing grace, how
sweet the sound!” He gives us so
much more than we deserve. –Joe Stowell
Lord,
thank You for not dealing with me according to
My
sins. I am indebted to you for the love
and grace
That
You demonstrated on the cross to purchase my
Pardon
and forgiveness-far beyond what I deserve!
******************************************
If
God never does anything more than redeem us,
He
has already done far more than we deserve.
INSIGHT
Charles
Haddon Spurgeon wrote eloquently of Psalm 103: “[This psalm of David] is in his
own style when at its best, and we should attribute it to his later years when
he had a higher sense of the preciousness of pardon, because [0f] a keener
sense of sin, than in his younger days.
His clear sense of the frailty of life indicates his weaker years, as
also does the very [fullness] of his praiseful gratitude.”
Have a blessed day and weekend.
God Our Creator’s Love Always
Unity & Peace
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