You may be asking yourself how can severing God be an entitlement? That would be a great question but it does happen. When you serve whether it is on missions, in your church or whatever the place, some privileges come with it sometimes. Sometimes it becomes a self-serving thing.
Like for instance, I have to be careful because I sometimes catch myself doing this. I serve at my church and because of that I get to go in the church earlier than most people since I am setting things up. I caught myself a while back frustrated when our church was having a marriage conference and my wife and I had to stand in line.
It took me a little time to realize WHOA, I have made serving become an entitlement. It happens to everyone if you are not careful. There are so many things I could bring up here that go along with this.
Maybe you feel that you are above people because you serve and maybe they don’t? Maybe you don’t consciously feel that way but your subconscious does. That is also a form of entitlement.
Maybe you have been coming to your church for years, have sat in the same seats for years and you do your part in the church so you feel that no one should sit where you sit and you get mad if someone does? Again, a sense of entitlement!
Maybe you have been coming to your church for years so you feel that your ideas should be looked at first? This actually happens a lot and then when the church doesn’t go with their ideas, they leave the church. A HUGE entitlement mentality.
Maybe you give the most in your church or at least you think you do so you feel that the church owes recognition to you. If they don’t acknowledge you then you leave.
There are so many more that I could talk about here but I think you get the point. If something isn’t your way then you get upset. All of these situations are a form of entitlement and they have no place in the church.
It’s all about you. The attention has to be on you. You serve for recognition not because of your love for Christ. Yes we all need to be recognized but whether that happens or not should not affect your serving.
So the next time you catch yourself with the pity me attitude because things aren’t my way at church, REPENT immediately so that you can get your heart right again. I think no matter who you are this is something we will all have to deal with for the rest of our lives. It is just human nature. It is not of God but a form of self worship.
Christ doesn’t love us more because we serve, he already loves us. Christ loves us no matter what and he proved that already by dying for us on the Cross. Some people think it’s works that get the love of Christ but that just isn’t true. If you believe that then your heart will have an entitlement mentality. There is no way around that. Drop that belief now so that you can keep your heart on it’s rightful focus and that is on Christ.
Now go our and serve from your heart with zero expectations and watch what what God will do in and through you!
Be Inspired or Be Left Behind!
Chris Benton