Are You Entitled?
“But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.” Genesis 6:8
There is this story of a man with a deeply infected sore who, hobbling on crutches, came to a clinic asking for help. A nurse looked at the open wound, infected and enlarged with redness that could take his leg, or possibly his life.
The Nurse began by diligently cleaning the open wound. Then she administered penicillin even though her supply was rapidly dwindling without hope of replenishment in the near future. She saw in the man, someone worthy of help. Everyday the man returned, and the nurse gently peeled away the infected area, applied antibiotics and smiled as she watched the work of healing gradually take place.
For a month the man came, finally abandoning his crutches and walking with a slight limp but nevertheless walking on his own. Finally, the morning came and with gladness of heart, she said, “Okay, now you won’t have to come back anymore. Your sore is healed!”
Expecting the man to warmly thank her for her ministrations of love, she was taken aback by his words, “What are you going to give me now for having come back every morning so faithfully?”
This is a reflection of a sense of entitlement that no matter what we have received from the hand of God, we expect more.
More than 200 times the Bible speaks of what God does for His own!
What that woman did was a picture of what the Bible calls grâce.
Everything that God has done for you is not because you deserve it, not because He owes you anything, but simply because He has chosen to touch your life with His hand of mercy and compassion, bringing healing to the putrid wound of sin.
And what reward do you expect for being so faithful to keep on asking for more without learning to say, “Thank you for what you have already done!”