Every good and perfect gift is from above. (James 1:17)
A profound sense of entitlement has enslaved our contemporary culture and crippled its ability to rise above the waves of challenge in life. Entitlement is metastasizing like stage four cancer, and it has infected the church, much to the detriment of our spiritual lives. It never ceases to amaze me how many younger adults I speak with who feel entitled to immediately enjoy the same standard of living that their parents took decades to develop and achieve. And the worst thing about this mindset is that when we don’t receive what we believe we have a right to expect, we tend to glare at God, believing He is the One who has withheld it from us.
God has promised to give to us everything we need in order to live the life He has called us to live. We have received every spiritual blessing in Jesus (Ephesians 1:3) and God has promised to meet our every need along the way (Philippians 4:19). The problem arises when we believe we are entitled to more than God has promised.
Here’s the thing: God never promised to meet our every want. Often what we want is the exact opposite of what God wants for us, and for good reason, because what we want is not His best for us. But when we feel entitled to something we want, we become bitter and begin to shrink back from all God is calling us to be in our ministry of service to Him. We must remember that God owes us nothing — absolutely nothing — but He has promised us everything in Jesus.
The Christian life is to be marked by contribution, not consumerism. Only when we remember this truth will we break the chains of enslavement to entitlement. We are to trust in God’s provision for us and receive with thanksgiving whatever He chooses to give to us. Remember, entitlement places self on the throne of life, not the Savior. But by keeping an attitude of gratitude in all circumstances, we will keep Jesus enthroned on our lives, and that will set us free from every sense of entitlement.
This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!
Grace for the Race 