I’d like to share a thought I believe the Lord gave me regarding entitlement and the ongoing struggle that so many Christians have when they lose sight of the awesome privilege of God’s grace.
I can best illustrate this concept with a story. An adult visits his parents at their home for a two-week stay. He is very close to them, but has been living in another country for some time. During his visit, he falls into his old habits of staying up past midnight, leaving his dirty dishes in the sink, and throwing his clothes all over the guestroom where he is sleeping. These are things he used to get away with when he was a teenager living under their roof, but his parents are no longer accustomed to this kind of behavior. They have new boundaries and they expect their son to act like a guest who appreciates their hospitality. So his father approaches him during his visit and asks him to respect these new boundaries. But instead of apologizing for his entitled behavior, the son feels rejected and upset. His entitlement attitude has blinded him from seeing his own disrespect for his parents.
So what is true respect? Does respect show honor and courtesy?
Having a sense of entitlement can sometimes cause us to lose sight of respect—especially when we forget to honor those we are close to.
How does this apply to God? A lot! I found myself asking, “Do I respect my Father (Jesus, the Holy Spirit)“? Has my relationship with Him become convenient rather than respectful? Do I understand what a great privilege it is to be a child of God? Or do I feel entitled to it and take my relationship with Him for granted?
God is gracious to the humble (James 4:6 ; James 4:10).
“God help me to never lose sight of Your simple facts and principles.”
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