Entitlement

en·ti·tle – verb (used with object), -tled, -tling.
1. to give (a person or thing) a title, right, or claim to something; furnish with grounds for laying claim: His executive position entitled him to certain courtesies rarely accorded others.

Americans are plagued with the attitude of entitlement. We believe that there are certain things that we simply deserve. In fact, the culture in which we live even encourages this mentality. The more educated we are, the more money we should make. The more money we make, the more stuff we should have. If we stand in line, then we deserve to be waited on in that order. When our car breaks down, then it is often time for us to get a new one. We deserve at least one vacation every year. When we do a good deed, then we deserve some recognition for it. So many of our ill feelings stem from this attitude of entitlement.

I have been traveling overseas with Americans for 8 and 1/2 years. One common way I challenge my team members is getting them to look at their current attitudes, priorities, and perspectives. American culture had tainted all three of these for those of us who are striving to grow in a relationship with Christ. The truth is, we don't deserve anything more than what God has already done for us. The truth is, most of the time, we elevate ourselves and our preferences higher than God intends for us to. The truth is, very rarely should we be the first thing that we think of.

The attitude of entitlement is not from God. Christ died for our sins, and if God never chose to bless us in ANY other way, then has He not already done way more than we deserve? We are not entitled to anything else. How different would our day to day life be if we were truly content with what God has already done for us. If we could truly serve him without reservation - trusting that He was going to take care of the details. What would we worry about if we didn't think we deserved anything from anybody?

It's at least worth taking into consideration.