Do we really deserve it?

Scripture Verse that caught my attention today: John 19:11 Jesus answered [Pilate], “You would have no power over me unless it had been given you from above; therefore the one who handed me over to you is guilty of a greater sin.”

Observation: It’s easy to forget that our position(s) are not completely of our own doing.

Application: In this country perhaps more so than any other, it’s easy to be deluded into thinking that we deserve what we’ve got, whether good or bad but especially if things are good. But is that really true?

I’m not trying to diminish in any way the appropriate place of personal responsibility, but I am saying that personal responsibility can only take us so far.

A little lesson I once learned in a logic class in college may be of help here. The sentence: “It is raining, therefore the sidewalks are wet” is true. However, the sentence: “The sidewalks are wet, therefore it is raining” may or may not be true.

Put another way, ‘you are a famous athlete, therefore you must be talented’ is most-likely true, whereas the sentence: ‘you are talented, therefore you are a famous athlete’ may or may not be true.

So if, like Pilate, we happen to be in a position of influence, we need to recognize such positions as gift and opportunity for service rather than as right rewards for our for our efforts. Otherwise we might delude ourselves into thinking we deserve it and forget that, like Jesus said, “we would have no power…unless it had been given…from above.”

Prayer: Lord, thanks again for the reminder that ultimately all opportunities for service come from you. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

(Scripture readings today included: Jeremiah 23-25 and John 19)