It’s Not An Entitlement. It’s A Gift.

16 Oct

In Christ we have redemption by his Blood,
the forgiveness of transgressions,
in accord with the riches of his grace that he lavished upon us.  (Eph 1:7-8)

We live in a world in which so many people feel that they are “entitled” to anything they want.  Property, possessions, wealth, power, prestige.  These are all things that people vie for on a regular basis.  When they see someone else receive them, they often become jealous.  After all, they think, that should be theirs.

As we grow up and mature, thankfully, the vast majority of people who felt “entitled” begin to realize that they are part of a bigger picture.  They realize that their entitlements are not entitlements.  If they want something, they need to earn it.  If they do not earn it, they do not receive it.

However, when it comes to our spirituality, some people never mature.  It is a hard concept to think that we are not entitled to the gifts that come to us from God.  It is even harder to realize that we cannot “earn” anything that comes to us from God.  We are not entitled to any of the gifts of the Lord or of the Spirit.  We are certainly not entitled to redemption.  They are gifts, freely given to us by a loving God.

While we cannot earn our gifts from God, we can certainly lose them.

Jesus told us how God expects us to live our lives.  He reminded us that we need to embrace the commandments of God.  Failure to do so could forfeit what God has in store for us.  Therefore, we must live, not as an entitled people, but as a redeemed people.  We do that best by embracing the great commandment:  love the Lord our God with all our heart, with all our soul, with all our strength, and with all our mind, and to love our neighbor as our self.

FAITH ACTION:  What act of love can you perform for another today in order to reflect the joy of living as a redeemed person?