“But if from thence thou shalt seek the LORD thy God, thou shalt find him, if thou seek him with all thy heart and with all thy soul.” – Deuteronomy 4:29
I’ve heard a lot about entitlement lately. It is the belief that a person fundamentally deserves privileges or special treatment. It’s a “give-it-to-me-because-I’m-me” way of thinking, which is a very worldly, prideful way of thinking. This way of thinking leads to individuals who are no longer active, contributing members of society because they believe they no longer should be obligated to earn something by their labors. instead they should receive it simply because “I’m me and I deserve it.”
God doesn’t see it that way. In fact, in His eyes, we are totally unworthy of anything. We do receive from Him because He loves us, but we do not passively receive. I have yet to find anything in the Bible that is passively given… not even salvation. I imagine many of you are shaking your heads as your mind screams, “What? I have to earn my salvation?” NO! That’s impossible for us to do. I simply said it was not randomly tossed out for anyone to grab and claim. So, what is it we have to do? We have to believe and ask. We perform the action, and then God reacts. Acts 2:21 demonstrates this. “And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord (action) shall be saved.” (reaction)
Throughout the Bible, there are conditional promises God makes to us. This means if we obey His Word, He will fulfill His promise. Take a close look at today’s key verse. If you want to find God, you can’t just sit on your sofa all day and expect Him to appear before you in a puff of smoke. Instead, you must seek Him through prayer and His Word (action), and then you will find Him (reaction). Here are a few other action-reaction verses in the Bible.
- Exodus 20:12 – “Honour thy father and thy mother: (action) that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.” (reaction)
- 2 Chronicles 7:14 – “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; (action) then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.” (reaction)
- Proverbs 22:6 – “Train up a child in the way he should go: (action) and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” (reaction)
- Proverbs 3:5,6 – “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, (action) and he shall direct thy paths.”(reaction)
- Isaiah 40:31 – “But they that wait upon the LORD (action) shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.” (reaction)
Get the idea? There is no such thing as an “entitlement” when it comes to being a Christian. We must have an active faith, which will yield results because we have a God who loves us beyond measure and always keeps His promises. When we obey His Word, there is nothing our Father in heaven will withhold from us. All we have to do is put our faith into action, and then wait for God’s reaction!
When we walk with the Lord in the light of His Word,
What a glory He sheds on our way!
While we do His good will, He abides with us still,
And with all who will trust and obey.
Trust and obey, for there’s no other way
To be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.
(from “Trust and Obey” by John H. Sammis)
“Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.” – Proverbs 37:4
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In physics, every action has an equal and opposite reaction. When God reacts to our actions, His reactions are always abundantly more than we could ever imagine!