“Entitlement”

Tuesday, June 04, 2019

Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.” 
(2 Timothy 3:12)

An entitlement is a guarantee of access to something based on established rights or legislation. Often our feeling of entitlement is expressed in the form of rights. How this sense is expressed depends on one's political or moral perspective.

The generation born between 1982 to 2004, often called Millennials, tend to delay adulthood, and live with their parents for longer periods than previous generations. Some Millennials also tend to believe it is their right to have everything given to them.

However, Millennials are not the only ones to have this mentality.  The US government’s tax-funded entitlement programs have perpetuated a sense of dueness rather than a sense of pride and hard work.

Before this turns into a political rant, let’s bring the lesson to a spiritual application. I have observed even Christians who are politically opposed to many of the above-mentioned government programs, who have a strong work ethic, still expressing the entitlement mentality.

Just what has God promised his people? I realize we who live in the USA are richly blessed with liberties like no other society. Our freedom has provided unprecedented prosperity. But did God guarantee such prosperity or even physical happiness to his people?  

In your marriage, God did not promise the right of self-gratification. Instead, he demands commitment, self-denial, and self-sacrifice of both the husband and the wife.  (Ephesians 5:22-33) Yet, I have known of couples breaking their marriage vows because “its not working out” and “after-all God wants us to be happy”.

When tragedy strikes some disciples want to blame God for their problems. But God never promised “heaven on earth”. Instead, he allows human beings to be subject to the pain and futility of a sin-broken world. (Romans 8:21-22)

In Matthew 6:33 Jesus did not promise to make us rich. The “things” he promised were food, drink, and clothing. So where do we get the idea that we are entitled to be rich?

Just what did God promise his people? “Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.” (2 Timothy 3:12) True disciples have always been among the outcast of the world who rejoice that they are counted worthy to suffer shame for the name of Jesus.

By George Slover

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