What do we deserve?

The other night at over dinner we were discussing the topic of entitlement. People that feel they are entitled to something. And so I decided to blog about it.

Where does this feeling they we are owed something or deserve something come from? I believe out of pure selfishness. Now I am not saying that I am free from feeling this. Pretty much everyone on this earth has that feeling and thought at some point in life. But I am constantly hearing the phrase "Well I deserve happiness. God wants me to be happy." And this statement just isn't truth. No where in scripture does it say that God wants us to be happy. God wants us to be Holy! Now God is good and loving and wants what is best for us. And what is best at times may be something that does makes us happy, but sometimes it may be something that makes us unhappy. The point is how we take what God gives us. Do we take it and choose to be angry and depressed, or do we take it with thankfulness. That God allowed this trial to take place in our life to bring us closer to Him and to make us and mold us to be more like Christ.

If anyone was ever entitled to something it was Christ. He deserved glory and honor and praise. But instead he took on flesh, came to this earth, lived a sinless life, yet paid the penalty of our sin and died on the cross.

So the question is. What do we deserve? We deserve death! But the good news is that Christ overcame death at the cross!

Happiness doesn't come from people, relationships or things. True happiness is an all surpassing joy that comes from the fact that Jesus Christ died for us and rose from the dead and we now can spend eternity with God in Heaven.

(by the way, the word happiness is only used 1 time in the Bible, and the word Holiness is used 50 times).