Yesterday a waitress made a comment to a friend and me that has stuck with me (and seems to be a common sentiment around town). She said, "I just don't think they deserve it." The reason many feel this way seems to be that they are not poor enough. As far as I know they are not overly struggling to pay their bills, their house wasn't falling apart, etc... The show seems to have picked them because they run a non-profit music school that aims to get their students to give back to the community through music.
Now, on one hand, I can certainly understand the feelings of those that think a family "more deserving" should have been awarded the new house. But the comment has stuck with me because who really is deserving of such a thing? Does "being poor" make a person deserving of a brand new, expensive house? What about giving selflessly back to the community? Does that really make someone deserving of such a gift? No, the truth is that nobody deserves such a gift.
I wonder if this same sentiment plays out in our thoughts and ideas on religion. Maybe as a society we've come to believe that the poor deserve to be rich. And we are all poor, spiritually speaking. Revelation 3 says:
"you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind, and naked."
Or maybe we don't believe that we are spiritually impoverished. Those are who the chapter in Revelation is really talking to. So, assuming we are spiritually poor and bankrupt, do we, like the waitress believe that we somehow deserve to be rich in God? That our spiritual state means that we should not be left there? Well, I believe the Bible teaches that we deserve nothing more then to be left in our spiritual poverty. Indeed, when we obey ourselves above all else we are in enmity toward God who demands we obey him and walk in righteousness. No, we do not deserve this gift.
"But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us."And that is good news my friends.
