The Poison of Entitlement

Compared to the rest of the world, America is in a financial "league of its own." We "save too little, spend too much and borrow excessively."(1) 

Despite the problems it causes, most Americans still spend more than they earn. But it wasn't always that way:

My grandparents:

• lived in a tiny house making additions when they had the money.
• saved until they could afford large purchases.
• vacationed only after the bills were paid.

But modern Americans have two major problems:

1. We lack contentment. 

We've forgotten "the secret of being content in any and every situation" (Philippians 4:12).

2. We have a sense of entitlement.

Entitlement means that we believe we deserve a certain standard of living whether we can afford it or not.

I can be guilty of these sinful attitudes myself, but I'm asking God to help me recognize that entitlement is a type of slavery:

"Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have." Hebrews 13:5

And I'm determined to remember the "secret" Paul introduces in Philippians 4:12: 

"I can do all this through him who gives me strength." Philippians 4:13

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(1) NPR, Why Americans Spend Too Much

Check out the Bible Love Notes collection of 1-minute devotions about Money and Possessions.

To do a Bite Size Bible Study on this devotion, click HERE. In the study, I share a few more thoughts and three Scripture passages to ponder.

My parents were perfectly content to live in this trailer for the first few years of their lives. My father eventually owned a successful business and had a nice home, but I never knew him to express a sense of entitlement. 

Bible Love Notes