Feb 25 Mon- Job 1

Feb 26 Tues- Job 2

Feb 27 Wed - Mt 20

Feb 28 Thr– Psalm 24

Mar 1 Fri- col 3

Mar 2 Sat – 1 Thess 5

PRAYER:A - Adoration(prayer of centering; focus on God's goodness); C - Confession(prayer of repentance and asking for God's forgiveness); T - Thanksgiving(prayer of gratefulness, content, joy, avoiding pessimism); S - Supplication(prayer for others; then pray for yourself)

S - STOPand listen... give God some time to speak to you--- end with the LORD'S PRAYER

Where to begin: What's the state of your soul today? Who is going to heaven because of you?

A. What does the world say you deserve? What do you think you deserve in life?

World's View? Vacations, Automobiles, Grades in School, Nice Paying jobs, etc.

- "my mere existence on this earth entitles me to ____________??? Why?

B. Entitlement - the belief that a person is inherently deserving of special treatment

Ex. - passengers on a crippled cruise ship sue because they didn't deserve those conditions (ie, they paid for "better" conditions)

VS. people in 3rdworld countries live in worse conditions everyday

- people work really hard and get paid 7 figure salaries

VS. people who work just as hard and barely survive

- avg. farmer makes $9.51 an hour (strenuous, difficult, dangerous)

What is most important to our world? Farmers? or something else?

C. What does a person in a 3rdworld country "deserve" when they had no choice to be born there and no ability to escape?

- no one in any developed world can honestly claim to "Deserve" what they have, as their prosperity (compared to 3rdworld countries) is invariably a result of:

1. birth; 2. opportunities; 3. gifts/help; 4. luck; 5. timing; 6. fortuitous circumstances

D. What is the opposite of entitlement? Which one sounds more like Jesus?

E. Mt 20:1-16: Parable of the Workers

- ISSUE: felt cheated/denied something they "thought" they deserved/owned

- God's response? vs. 15 "Don't I have the right to do what I want with what belongs to me?" Psalm 24:1, "The earth and all that is in it belong to the Lord"

a. Is this true? Or in reality, does this earth belong to us humans?

F. Job 1:21-22, "He said: “Naked I came from my mother’s womb; naked I will return there. The Lord has given; the Lord has taken; bless the Lord’s name.”

1. World says - "My mere existence entitles me to health, wealth, and long life"

- Job 2:9, "Job's wife said, "why don't you just curse God and die!"

- when suffering, natural to feel like "I/we deserve better;" but do we?

G. Natural Way vs. the Way of Jesus = Old Life/deserving/Ungrateful, especially in storms VS. New Life = Peace and Thankfulness, especially in storms

- like Job, "I will not curse God; rather, I will bless the Lord's name"

G. Gen 1-2, God created, and it was . . .

- To be created by God, and therefore experience any life, is good.

- To be created by God for the purpose of experiencing the life to come = great

APPLY: Entitlement thinking is ungodly; instead choose humility and gratefulness.

- Col 3:15, "and be a thankful people"; 1 Thess 5:18,"Always give thanks"