What do you deserve?

My little red head had a hard day today. Him and his brother are two of the most strong-willed kids I know, but over the last year he has begun to learn how to yield his little rights. I saw none of that today. Because I wouldn't do what he wanted me to do, (stand in front of the cabinet) he lost it. He punched me in the face, bit me and called me names. Only by God's grace did I not loose my cool and discipline him in anger. 

He just couldn't let go of what he thought he deserved. When I didn't fit into his expectation of me he blew up and threw a fit. I wish this were just a little kid thing, but doesn't the same thing happen to us adults? Isn't it so easy to think we deserve to be treated this or that way for people to do this or that for us and if they don't we throw a fit.

Our culture is saturated with entitlement egging us on, whispering in our ears, "you deserve..." or "you don't deserve..." 
But really, if God gave us what we deserved we'd be in hell tonight.

Our culture is saturated with entitlement.
Jesus wasn't.

"The only person in the history of the world with license to demand rights is Jesus. He's God in the flesh, Creator entering creation. He alone can claim entitlement; He alone can demand that certain rights be given to Him. Yet this is not the mentality He had. Instead of coming into the world demanding worship, honor, wealth, fame, or the many other things rightly entitled to Him, He came humbly, seeking to serve and yield His rights for the sake of others...

Jesus left behind eternal, perfect fellowship with the Father and the Spirit to come to earth, taking on frail human flesh and living among us. He was willing to suspend the rights and privileges of Heaven to become a servant. He had a right to comfort, yet He had no place to lay His head. He had the right to be respected; yet He was accused of being of the devil. He had the right to be honored and worshiped; yet He was mocked and scorned. He had the right to be understood; yet for a time His own family didn't believe in Him. He had the right to justice; yet on the cross He suffered the greatest injustice in human history-the perfect, righteous Son of God dying under accusation of blasphemy against the Lord. Jesus would have been completely justified in demanding these rights...

If your generation is going to finally fulfill the Great Commission, it will be because you yield your careers, your money, your relationships, your time, your lifestyle, your reputation, everything to the Lord. This vision cannot and will not be realized by a generation of Christians who buy into the value system of the world, who claim entitlement and cling to their rights... 

Your legacy as perhaps the greatest generation in history hinges on these questions. Will you demand or will you yield?"

What powerful words by Roger Hershey in his book The Finishers. It is one of my favorite books and totally recommend it.

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