My childhood was full of entitlement, illustrated best during Christmas time. I remember when I was a teen being upset with Santa because I didn't get what I wanted. I dropped a few hints to my mom that Santa had failed that year. A couple years earlier I was upset with my great grandma for buying me an off brand Beanie Baby for Christmas; the years after that she started giving all her grandchildren money because it was easier than buying the wrong thing.
I also learned entitlement from my childhood friends. I often watched them yell at their parents for perceived slights and eventually get what they wanted.
As I have gotten older it's turned into a more subtle form of entitlement. Taking the form of, I've earned my paycheck, so I should be able treat myself to a few nice things. I'll still give 10% of my income to the church but I deserve a few lattes and a couple of expensive dinners a month. Don't I?
In the Acts of the Apostle in chapter 5 there is an account of a couple who sold a piece of property. They sold the property and only gave a portion to the church but they lied to the Apostles and told them that they sold the property for that price. Then, because they tried to deceive the congregation and the Holy Spirit, they fell down dead.
I know I'm not lying to the Spirit by thinking I'm entitled to certain pleasures, but I may be lying to myself. My self deception comes through saying that I am fully committed to God yet neglecting others through indulging my own desires. Though my deception is not as serious as lying to the Holy Spirit, it is nonetheless blocking me from real commitment to God. And I suspect I am not the only one.
Entitlement can masquerade as many things, but it usually looks like self justification. The harsh reality is no matter how much we justify our spending and living habits it does not change the fact that we need to be sold out for Jesus. The couple in Acts 5 died because they wanted people to think they were sold out for Jesus. They wanted the recognition without the sacrifice. They sold themselves short.
Through my own entitlement I sell myself short as well.
We sell ourselves short.
But for Gods grace we are not stuck in entitlement, we can be educated through the Holy Scripture by the Holy Spirit to transform our world away from entitlement towards sacrifice. I'm not sure what that transformation processes looks like, but I'm excited to find out.
May we read the Bible with fresh eyes opened to our need for self reflection, and may the Holy Spirit empower us to fight for each other rather than for ourselves.
