Do you have an ‘I-O-YOU’ attitude or a ‘U-O-ME’ attitude? What gives us an attitude of entitlement? It’s found in the middle of the word entitlement itself: ‘title’. We can assume people owe us because of the title we hold in their lives: sister, brother, son, daughter, friend, donor, employee, customer, subscriber, and so on. We might think of our title like a legal document that gives us the right to whatever advantage we expect. But that’s not what discipleship is about. Paul described the essence of discipleship in these words: ‘By love serve one another.’ Here are some strategies to help us overcome any sense of entitlement that we’re aware of in our lives: 1) Understand the difference between your ‘rights’ and your ‘desires’. You have the right to expect your mother or father to love you, but you don’t have the right to expect them to wait on you hand and foot. ‘For God so loved…that he gave’ (John 3:16 KJV). True love is marked by giving, not taking. 2) Live by the Golden Rule (see Matthew 7:12). Jesus said that whatever you want others to do for you, take the initiative and begin doing it for them. Even if they don’t return the favour, God will be pleased with you anyway! ‘He will not forget how hard you have worked for him and how you have shown your love to him by caring for other believers, as you still do’ (Hebrews 6:10 NLT). 3) If someone has been kind and done a favour, don’t expect them to be the source of future favours. God might use others to bless you, but He must always be the only source you trust to meet your needs (see James 1:17).
