NOT AS WE DESERVE

 NOT AS WE DESERVE

Ps. 103:10 He has not punished us for all our sins, nor does he deal with us as we deserve. NLT

Growing up, I did not like it when I was punished for things I did wrong. My dad was from the old school and was not afraid to punish his children. Back then, timeouts were unknown. My dad had a belt and he knew how to use it. I didn’t like it, but I did learn to respect it. I didn’t get punished every time I deserved it, and I am glad for that. I also was punished for some things dad thought I did which I didn’t do; I didn't like that too much either. I do have to admit though that I deserved much of the discipline I did receive.

I am so thankful that our Heavenly Father does not punish us when we sin as when we deserve it. If He did, none of us would survive childhood. We all sin and deserve to die in our sins. But God is merciful, just, and has great compassion for us. He provided for the Israelites the sacrificial system whereby their sins could be atoned for, and for us, He provided the cross where we can find forgiveness. Jesus died on the cross so that we would not get the punishment we deserve. As children of God, we are given mercy when we sin. Jesus took our punishment upon himself.

Now, don’t get the idea that we have a free ride when we sin. Sinning always has consequences. The Lord does not pretend we don’t sin. He allows us to live with the choices we make. We may not have a death sentence hanging over our heads, but we do have painful consequences we have to live with. Sometimes our health suffers because of our sins. For others, life is very difficult because of sin. For others, memories won’t go away. For some, others bear the pain of our sins. Sin often has long-lasting consequences and it has immediate consequences, it keeps us away from God. There is a broken fellowship with God when we harbor sin and it cannot be fixed except through repentance.

Jesus came to deal with our sin problem. He came so that we can live with God in spite of our sins. He came to make us righteous and holy before God. He came so that we can live in victory over our sinful choices, in spite of the harm they may have caused us or others in the past.

I am so thankful today for God’s mercy, patience, and love towards me. I am so thankful for Jesus, who is my righteousness and holiness before God.