“What did I do to deserve this?” How many times have you
heard that from someone when something negative happens? How many times have
you said it yourself? When something negative enters your life, you go back
through all of your mistakes to see what could have been done. We often want
everyone to get what they deserve (good or bad).
We live under grace. We believe the Heavenly Father has this
huge chart up in Heaven. When we do something wrong, He matches up our sin with
the appropriate punishment for us. The Almighty doesn’t work that way. He is
our loving parent that is slow to anger, and abounding in love toward us.
When we become aware of a mistake or a problem God is
forgiving and seeks to restore our relationship with Him. If you wonder why
something negative came into your life search for the Almighty and allow Him to
bring to bring joy back to your heart. In times like these, there are two
things that you can be assured of:
1.
The Heavenly Father never punishes
His children.
“He
has not punished us as we deserve for all our sins, for his mercy toward those
who fear and honor Him is as great as the height of the heavens above the
earth. He has removed our sins as far away from us as the east is from the
west. He is like a father to us, tender and sympathetic to
those who reverence Him.” (Psalm
103:10-13, TLB)
“I don’t think ultimately
God punishes. I think we bring about our own destruction or our own creation.” (Madonna)
2.
The Heavenly Father disciplines His
children.
“Our human
parents disciplined us for a little while, as it seemed best to them, but God
does it for our benefit so that we can share his holiness. No discipline is fun while it lasts,
but it seems painful at the time. Later, however, it yields the peaceful fruit
of righteousness for those who have been trained by it.” (Hebrews
12:10-11, CEB)
“The purpose of God’s discipline is not to punish us, but to
transform us.” (Jerry Bridges)
If the request is wrong, God
says, “No.” If the timing is wrong, God says, “Slow.” If you are wrong, God
says, “Grow.” But if the request is right, the timing is right and you are
right, God says, “Go.” (Bill Hybels)[i]
[i] Inspired by the sermon “Cries of
the Heart: What Did I Do?” (installment four, final) Sunday, July 9,
2017 Pastor Dave Jansen, CenterPoint Gahanna Church Gahanna, OH
Also used in this post: “What
Did I Do to Deserve This?” by Bernie Epperson
[i] Inspired by the sermon “Cries of
the Heart: What Did I Do?” (installment four, final) Sunday, July 9,
2017 Pastor Dave Jansen, CenterPoint Gahanna Church Gahanna, OH
Also used in this post: “What
Did I Do to Deserve This?” by Bernie Epperson
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