Entitlement

The class I'm taking this week is entitled, "Theology and Practice of Biblical Reconciliation."  It's an excellent course.  In it, we are taking the time to explore what it means to be first reconciled with God and then, through the power of God, reconciled with people.  The reconciliation with God is the easiest and best place to start.  Reconciliation, we are learning, has to do with rebuilding broken relationships.  God has already demonstrated that God is willing to rebuild a broken relationship with us.

You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God's wrath through him! For if, while we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! Not only is this so, but we also boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation. (Romans 5:6-11 NIV)

God does God's part of the reconciliation process.  In order to be reconciled with God, we only need to return home to the Father through the Son and receive the gift of God's Spirit.  God already paved the path, opened the door, and provided the way.

Reconciling with others, however, is much more difficult.  We never know what we will encounter when attempting to reconcile with another person.  They may not be open to a relationship of any kind.  Reconciling with people can be difficult.

One of the barriers to relationship with God and people is our own pride.  Sometimes the pride seeps in so deep that it permeates the very fiber of our being.  We stop feeling blessed and privileged and start thinking we deserve what we have.  We start experiencing the feelings of entitlement

Entitlement is a dangerous place to be. Its much worse than just thinking we're "all that plus a bag of potato chips." We start thinking we deserve a the privileges we've been given. We start believing the blessings are the "bare minimum" expected from God and from others. We start thinking we deserve not only what we have, but we deserve better and more. We forget the real picture...

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-- not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. (Ephesians 2:8-10 NIV)

Being reconciled with God...it's a gift.  Good relationships with people...it is to be treasured.  God forgives us, empowers us, and equips us to become ministers of reconciliation.  When we feel entitled, we walk away from the Father and the good works He has prepared in advance for us to do.  He wants us to be His representatives, His ambassadors, to the world around us.

We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. (2 Corinthians 5:20-21 NIV)

How about you?  Do you feel entitled?  Does it get in the way of God's desire for your life?  Do you represent the Father or are you leaving the Father?  Are you God's ambassador of reconciliation?