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GRIP Thoughts - May 12, 2016

Adultery, murder, deceit, rape, conspiracy… and I’m not talking about the headlines of yesterday’s newspaper or the front page of the latest tabloid! I’m talking about this week’s reading in the book of 2 Samuel! Wouldn’t it have been nice if it could have just been smooth sailing for David after putting all of that drama with King Saul behind him? Sadly, it was not! David’s life is yet another reminder to me that even those who have a close and intimate walk with God are not immune to the lure of sin.

King David, a man after God’s own heart, was human like the rest of us. He struggled with temptation. His desire for Bathsheba drove him into moral failure, and in his desperation to cover his tracks he had a man murdered! Later on we find out that the apple didn’t fall far from the tree as David’s sons grow up to have a mess of problems of their own—from incestuous rape, to fratricide, to conspiring to usurp the King’s position! These guys are something else!

But one thing that all of these shameful acts had in common, was that in some way they were motivated by a sense of entitlement. David felt entitled to indulge in the pleasures of the flesh when he observed the desirable Bathsheba taking a bath nearby. After all, he was the king! Amnon also felt entitled to his fleshly desires when he lured Tamar into his room. After all, he was so in love with her! And Absalom felt entitled to revenge when he found out what Amnon had done. After all, Tamar was his sister!

Do you ever find yourself making excuses like these to convince yourself that you are entitled to that one thing you desire in the moment? “I can watch this movie. After all, it’s not that bad!” Or, “I can eat that piece of chocolate cake. After all, I went to the gym yesterday!” Even in the simple things, we feel entitled and make excuses to get what we want. But the stories of David, Amnon, and Absalom give us a picture of where we could end up if we’re not careful with that kind of thinking!

In Luke 14:11, Jesus gives us a piece of wisdom that can keep us grounded when we are tempted to focus on the things we feel entitled to. He says, “For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.” When we exalt ourselves, we are acting upon entitlement. We are motivated by our own desire to get what we want—power, fame, love, money, prestige, recognition, acceptance—and we start to value our own desires above the best interest of others. But Jesus says that when we do this, when we exalt ourselves, we will be humbled in one way or another.

On the flip side, when we choose humility—when we choose to forgo our so-called entitlement to the things we desire in order to put others first—God honours and exalts us. And what could be more wonderful than that? The reality is that no desire of mine—no matter how entitled I feel—could ever be as amazing as the honour that God will bestow upon me when I choose to humble myself!

-Talasi Guerra
(Director of Children and Family Ministries)

Categories: Bible , Grip