I Deserve Better and I Deserve More!

"Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Is it only me or have others noticed that there seems to be an entitlement mentality rampant all around us? It says, "I deserve better and I deserve more. I'm entitled to more than I'm getting and I want it now!"

I can’t even point my finger at others without having some guilt myself. There have been times when I started to believe that I deserved what God was allowing me to have just because I was doing things in his name and within his church. Unfortunately, when we have this entitlement mentality, it eventually invades our relationship with God. We begin to feel that we deserve more from God. That he owes us more because we are his children and we are doing what we believe he wants us to do!

Nothing could be further from the truth. In reality, no matter what we do in his name and whatever part we play within the body of the church, what we ultimately deserve is death and hell. That's a bitter pill to swallow, but the Bible is clear about that: "the wage of sin is death". What God owes us in wages is death!

The good news is that he doesn't give us what we really should have coming to us. Instead, in mercy and because he loves us, he gives us life! He gives us forgiveness, hope and love. This Christmas, I am going to try to be more grateful for God’s mercy and grace and dwell no more on perceived lost entitlements.

Bethlehem PD Video

Strange things are about to happen as Joe Thursday and his sidekick Frank Cannon walk the beat in Bethlehem one winter night. There's a census in town, and everyone is on edge. Suddenly, a celestial disturbance prompts the officers to investigate. The trail leads them to the holy family. They help Mary, Joseph and baby Jesus escape Egypt just ahead of "Dirty Harry" (Herod).

 

 

Christmas Blessings

Saturday night my wife and I got to spend some time with a family whose prospects for Christmas by most American’s standards are rather bleak, but what impressed me or touched me the most was one of the boy’s outlook on the whole situation. Their tree was very sparsely decorated to say the least. On a 6-7 foot Christmas tree there were less than a dozen ornaments. They were proud of their tree and were excited and eager to show it to us. What was more touching than anything was when one of the boys showed us the present that was next to the tree. It was the only present they had and will probably be the only one this year. It was one present more than they expected to receive so it gave them something to look forward to on Christmas morning. It was one gift for all 5 people to open.

So why mention this? I have to say that I have had a rather negative attitude when it comes to this Holiday/Christmas season because I have had to interact with a lot of people with entitlement mentalities. My co-workers and I are used to getting a share of the net operating result where we work and for 2013 that has been taken away. That equates to several hundred dollars that most of us use for Christmas. That is on top of the insult of having been furloughed earlier this year and losing a substantial amount of our incomes.

As an “older dog”, I am not too old to learn and I choose to learn from this boy’s outlook. My family has still been greatly blessed and we have so much to be thankful for. I have a good job, healthy family, warm home, plenty to eat, good friends and the list goes on and on. For that, I am truly grateful. To my friends and family, I wish you all a very Merry Christmas and I hope you all join me and my family in being thankful for the “enough” that God has blessed us with.