earn it

We have a line of thinking that tends to go something like this:

Do good things, good things happen to you.
Do bad things, bad things happen to you.

I know this is an oversimplification. Yet this is a lie that we all buy into from time to time. Jesus said that this is absolutely NOT how the universe works.

One day He was talking about how, whether you’ve been good or bad, we all still deal with the same junk. (Matthew 5:45) “He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.”

Now, I was thinking about this and I thought: wouldn’t it be easier if the sun only shined on those who were good? You know, somebody walks in and they’ve got a literal cloud floating over their head. “I guess I know who’s been bad today.”

Let’s be honest. What did you do to deserve the sun and the rain? What did you do to earn the changing seasons? So much of what we receive in life is dealt to us, rather than being deserved or earned. It was given to you.

2 ways this applies to our lives:

1) Just because things have fallen apart in your life, don't jump to the conclusion that God is punishing you. You may have done wrong, and the mess may be your fault. But sometimes junk just happens, and God promises to stregthen us to get through it. These are the greatest times of learning in our lives.

2) Don't become smug in the midst of great accomplishment. God is the source of every good thing. Be sure to give thanks, and return it to him in praise. And get ready, because there may be another storm on the horizon!