A senator on the reelection trail was at a luncheon sponsored by some of his constituents. He was very hungry, so when the woman handing out the chicken put two pieces on his plate, he asked her for a third. She said no. He pressed further, “Do you know who I am? I’m the senator.” She retorted, “And I’m the woman handing out two pieces of chicken, so move along.”

Have you ever felt entitled to something because of who you are or what you’ve accomplished? We live in an age of entitlement. Many people feel they are entitled to special treatment because of their celebrity status, wealth, education, nationality, race, etc. Sometimes even church people think they can rest on their laurels of being lifelong members of a certain denomination.

Entitlement isn’t new. Some New Testament Jews who came to check out John the Baptist felt they were privileged because they were “followers of Abraham.” But John called them a brood of vipers, instructing them to “produce fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham” (Luke 3:8).

John understood that one’s heritage, accomplishments, wealth, church membership … do not impress God in the least. But when we humbly recognize our sinfulness and place our trust in Jesus as our one and only Savior, “he [gives] us the right to become children of God” (John 1:12).

Now that’s entitlement!