"I got a raw deal," said the man across from me. His eyes were sullen. His brow was furrowed in anger. He recounted his life's story emphasizing with every point that God had given him a raw deal.
His family sexually abused him as a child. Then they lied and deceived him for most of his life. He also suffered physical abuse. There was a mixture of anger and teary eyes as he recounted his story. The pain did not stop there. It continued as he grew older.
There was betrayal by trusted friends. People spread lies and unfounded rumors about him. He even was betrayed by a business partner. His story proved hard to listen to. The raw emotions were evident in his body language. There was mixture of rage and brokenness.
He often asked why God did not answer his prayers and why God had given him such a raw deal. He came to vent more than to find answers. He experienced real pain and real hurt from his past. Answers were hard to come up with for his questions of why.
Then it dawned on me. In light of what Jesus suffered on the cross to purchase this man's redemption he did not get a raw deal. In fact, he got a great deal. He received God's gift of salvation due to no merit of his own. Instead of justice he received God's merciful grace. Instead of experiencing judgment this man was declared righteous through the blood of Jesus before a holy God. He did not get a raw deal. He got an eternally great deal of forgiveness.
Truth won the day for the angry man. As he contemplated the cross he realized that God had given him more than he ever deserved. His hardships paled in comparison to the suffering of Jesus Christ on the cross. You might run across the man I talked to. I see him most everyday. The man I'm writing about is the one I see in the mirror everyday.
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