Thought for the day.

Entitlement (en·ti·tle·ment, noun): the belief that one is inherently deserving of privileges or special treatment.

An important question to ask ourselves is whether we have ever heard of anyone confessing that they have an entitlement problem? Have we ever had anyone in our life group throw in a prayer request asking for God to correct their attitude of entitlement? Let me get a little more personal. Have you ever confessed it? I must confess that I haven’t.
The reason being is that entitled people don’t know they are entitled. This is why it is the silent killer of the church. It is undetected. Entitlement disguises itself in many ways. We become angry when we are overlooked for our efforts. We become frustrated when we are treated as equals with people we see ourselves above. It actually can feel like oppression. We look for new churches, friends, or jobs when we feel like we are not being compensated for what we bring to the table. We respond by demeaning, gossiping, and slandering the people who do not show us the respect we think we deserve.
A reality check is that entitled people and entitled behaviour destroy the church. It’s the silent killer of the church that creates a monstrous ripple effect in the body. There is an attitude that slowly creeps in and begins to create an underlying culture of everyone wanting it their way or wanting special treatment because of who they are and what they have done for the church. It’s the attitude of privilege and prestige that goes against the very essence of James 2. James very clearly warns us against this type of attitude. However, it’s the very thing many members of the church desire, including pastors. We want to be seen, known, appreciated, and compensated. It’s in our nature to want to be noticed. The symptoms are catastrophic and as a result of it relationships are destroyed, ministries divided, and the Great Commission overlooked.
Let us by the Grace of God walk in true humbleness before God and man, growing in the revelation that the highest office that we can hold in the Kingdom of God is SERVANT.

Erick Bouwmeester
#lovebeyondchurch
#lovebeyondwordsministry
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