The predominate western world, modern and post modern worldview is Entitlement – the world owes me the life I desire.

A Christ (Christ-like) (Christian) worldview is Gift – I have been given life, genuine life, life that I lost because of my sin and it has been given back to me. I am not entitled to it, it has been gifted to me. God has brought himself and his life to our circumstances. We live by his Spirit in the midst of our circumstances. As we have integrity with his character, we shine his glory and release his life into our circumstances.

When we feel we are ‘entitled’ we are selfish, we are takers, we grasp and cling, we demand and get offended when we don’t get what we feel we deserve – and we feel we deserve everything. We drain life from others and yet we’re never satisfied because when we’re entitled, we’re always entitled to more. Satisfaction and entitlement don’t co-exist. Satisfaction births peace. Entitlement rejects peace. How can we be at peace when we know we have something coming to us that we don’t have yet? Something we deserve. Something that is being kept from us. It breads anger, resentment, jealousy, frustration, and the list goes on. Each of these is a toxin in our lives.

When we realize that God has rescued us, given his very life to us so that we may have life, we are grateful. We want to live generously. We value life as something to live, something to share. We were caught in the grip of circumstances (what were thrust upon us). We were drowning in it. We were being drained of joy, love, energy, and of course peace. But we have been rescued. We have the fountain of life from which to drink. We aren’t entitled to a better life - we have been given an eternal full life. And the fountain of life never stops flowing. We can endlessly drink of joy, love, energy and of course peace.

When our circumstances define us, we try to control them and they inevitable end up controlling us, destroying us. When we live our lives above the circumstances, we are free. Even in the most difficult circumstances, we can live free. We have been set free...see that we stay free.

...more on this topic on Sunday morning, May 10th.