Entitled?

For the LORD of armies says this: “After glory He has sent me against the nations that plunder you, for the one who touches you, touches the apple of His eye.  Zechariah 2:8

In my prayer journal, I have written, "Where have I embraced an entitled attitude?" I think it's a fair question, for me and for you as well.

His Word is full of declarations of His love for us, of His pledge to be with us, of His neverending faithfulness, and infinite watchfulness over our lives. Zechariah 2:8 is merely one of them. However, with all those promises put before us, there is a very subtle danger; we can be seduced into believing that we are not only entitled to His fulfilling all those promises, but that we should be exempt from any real hardship along the way. Or, if there has been hardship, we feel He is obligated to make it up to us at some point, to compensate us for our pain. It's a dangerous snare, and many, including myself, have fallen into it. When it happens, we are often very slow to realize that it has.

In my writings, I've chronicled a good deal of the suffering and pain I've walked through with Him. Divorce, loss of my ministry, a great unknown laid out before me. In His goodness, faithfulness, and mercy, He restored both my life and my ministry. In His doing that, an attitude of entitlement entered in that I didn't even recognize at the time. That's how subtle and deceiving that spirit can be.

When I went to Northern Virginia to plant a church, I was committed to that work and willing to do whatever I must for it to succeed. I worked, prayed, and believed. But in the midst of that, there was something else going on as well. Underneath was this lurking sense that He "owed" me success. I had walked through a great deal of pain and suffered as a result of my staying faithful to Him in it. I had a sense that not only would He reward my faithfulness, but that He was bound to do so. I was entitled to it. I had forgotten Jesus' words about servants that should not expect special favor for their being obedient to the master. They were doing what a servant was expected to do. I'd lost sight of that. I was wrong to expect special favor for my obedience to Him. It was what He expected of me no matter how dark the way I walked might become. I was not entitled to anything, but through His grace, He offered me everything. There's a difference, and we need to know and learn that. Entitlement is rooted in pride. There's no real humility on our part. And we place no real value on all that He gives because, well because He owes us.

I thought I'd experienced everything in those years of darkness, but in His love, He showed how much more I had to learn. There was still so much purification that was needed in my heart and life. It took Him time. It always does with stubborn folk like me, and like you too. I did come to the place of realizing that whatever sacrifices I might make, were sacrifices He expected as I committed to entering into "the fellowship of His suffering." I wasn't entitled to anything because of it. I promised to follow Him, and He promised that my reward would be great, but I learned that the reward would be so much greater than the earthly desires I had limited it to. 

The Father has been better to me than I could have ever believed. He has blessed me beyond any desire I ever had, but I have learned the infinite value of His grace that He so freely bestows but that He never owes me. He has given us everything in His Son, Jesus Christ. We were never entitled to Him and we never will be. The only way we will ever learn that is by way of the cross. His way.......Are you feeling entitled today in some area of your journey? If so, you need to go anew to His cross....and yours as well.

Blessings,
Pastor O