Greetings everyone and welcome to today’s edition of …
Learn & Grow with Jesus Every Day
Today’s Topic is: The Myth of Entitlement
Date: Saturday, April 10, 2021
Bible Reading: Luke 17: 7-10 NIV
“Suppose one of you has a servant plowing or looking after the sheep. Will he say to the servant when he comes in from the field, ‘Come along now and sit down to eat’? Won’t he rather say, ‘Prepare my supper, get yourself ready and wait on me while I eat and drink; after that, you may eat and drink’? Will he thank the servant because he did what he was told to do? So you also, when you have done everything you were told to do, should say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.’ ” Luke 17:7-10 NIV
Discussion Question: Which God do you want - the God you desire or the God that desires you?
It is amazing how often we feel disappointed, angry or bitter when we expect and do not receive gratitude, appreciation, recognition, reward, or award for doing the exact things which we ought to do, and are expected of us, and for which we were hired in the first place. We live in an era of "Me, Myself and I", or age of entitlement where people not only expect but brazenly demand praise and reward for doing the things that they are naturally supposed to do.
I have never come across a nursing mother who expects her child to thank her for caring, protecting, nurturing, feeding, and raising him/her each day until adulthood. That would be one for the Guinness Book of Records because it will never happen. That is the definition and meaning of motherhood. And mothers instinctively do this daily with perfect love and utmost joy without expecting anything back.
Recognition, gratitude, appreciation, and reward to employees or people who do things for you is a true mark of great leadership and an absolute essential to boosting morale, confidence, engagement, productivity, and a sense of accomplishment. Nothing empowers a person, employee, partner, or children like a pat on the back and a solid high-five for a job well done. It goes a very long way and is a vital ingredient to building high-performance teams.
However, we must be careful to avoid and eschew any sense of right or feeling of entitlement to those perks, because our bosses or employers are neither mandated nor obligated to extend such courtesies to us as long as we are getting our agreed wages for the services we render or work we do. We must recognize and join the fight against the epidemic of entitlement which has destroyed the careers of so many promising employees. A false sense of entitlement has led many to become ego-inflated, arrogant and very difficult to work with. You have your rights, and so does your employer of labor. Always thinking about ourselves and no one else leaves deep scars, and is counterproductive. Jesus taught us to love our neighbor as ourselves - not to place undue expectations or burdens on others that we ourselves cannot afford to bear. Rewards and awards are predicated on excellence, productivity and high performance. Rewards and awards come at high costs to employers. Never lose sight of the fact that procuring and dispensing rewards and awards are at the sole discretion of employers of labor, and are contingent on fund availability to cover the costs.
Don't expect extra blessings, breakthroughs, or miracles in your life simply because you are serving God as you ought to. Entitlement is a delusion based on selfishness and self-aggrandizement. Service and gratitude will fuel your relationship with God but entitlement will not only poison your heart, but will derail your journey and lead you to self-destruction. It is God's prerogative to decide whom to bless, how to bless, when to bless, and with what to bless, according to His good pleasure. God made Himself abundantly clear - I have mercy on whom I have mercy, and compassion on whom I have compassion.
Jesus said, "The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life—only to take it up again.No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father.” John 10:17-18 NIV. Yes we have our rights, but so did Jesus, who for the joy set before Him gave them all up. Don't become bitter and angry when God is blessing a brother or sister who in your own opinion and assessment does not serve God or love God as much as you do. Only God knows those who are truly His. His thoughts are higher than our thoughts and His foolishness much wiser than the wisdom of all the wisest men that ever lived and will ever live combined. We are not saved by works but rather by His grace and mercy. By strength shall no man prevail and no man taketh this honor unto himself, but he that is called of God, as was Aaron.
Brethren, let every man, wherein he is called, therein abide with God. 1 Corinthians 7:24 KJV
He has shown you, O man, what is good; And what does the LORD require of you But to do justly, To love mercy, And to walk humbly with your God? Micah 6:8 NJKV.
Stay uplifted in Christ always and live cheerfully every day.
Leader Chinedu Nicholas Obodo for Exolom Fellowship, Maryland, USA. Find us at exolom.com