Grateful or deserving?

 “Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His mercy endures forever.” — Psalm 136:1

Entitlement vs. Gratitude: Man’s Response to Escape

There is a subtle danger in the spiritual life. It is possible to be delivered and yet not be grateful. It is possible to be rescued and yet feel entitled. When I think about what it is from which I was delivered, and then think about how it was that I was delivered, I become a grateful person. But when I forget either of those—what I escaped or how I escaped—something shifts in me. Gratitude fades, and entitlement begins to grow.

When you think about the redemption or deliverance that you experienced, and you focus only on the freedom that results, without remembering what came before, you give yourself the opportunity to live in entitlement rather than gratitude. You begin to assume that this new life is simply yours by right. You quietly remove the memory of your bondage and the role of your Deliverer. And when those disappear, gratitude disappears with them.

A friend of mine, John, was driving with his wife on a crowded interstate highway when a truck lost control and struck them. The impact sent their car spinning. Then, in a surprising and violent turn of events, the truck hit them a second time, turning the vehicle completely around and forcing it into the median, just a foot away from a ditch. They managed to crawl out of the car. A man who had stopped from the other side of the highway rushed over and immediately said, “It’s a miracle that you survived.”

John later shared that at the very moment of the first impact, before the second collision even occurred, he knew his life was in God’s hands. He prayed, “Lord, if now is my time, so be it, but I trust in You.” His wife agreed. And when they escaped, like a bird out of the snare of the fowler, they gave thanks to God who had brought them through.

But imagine if, sometime later, John began to say, “Well, of course we survived,” or “That’s just how things worked out.” We would immediately recognize the problem. He would have forgotten the danger, forgotten his helplessness, and forgotten the One who delivered him. That is exactly what happens to us spiritually.

The Jewish people experienced something similar in Egypt. They were enslaved for hundreds of years and cried out to God for deliverance. In response, God sent Moses. Yet their situation initially became more difficult. Even after their redemption, as they journeyed through the wilderness, they continued to complain. They focused on their present discomfort rather than their past deliverance, and in doing so, they lost sight of God Himself.

There is a profound difference between focusing on redemption and focusing on the Redeemer. When a person focuses only on redemption, they are thinking primarily about what they have received—the benefits, the freedom, and the change in circumstances. But when a person focuses on the Redeemer, they remember who came for them, their own inability to save themselves, and the cost involved in their rescue. One perspective leads to entitlement, while the other leads to gratitude.

The Hebrew word for Passover is Pesach. While the English term “Passover” tends to emphasize the event—death passing over the houses of Israel—Pesach points us more directly to the lamb itself. Passover highlights the result, while Pesach highlights the source. Too often, we celebrate the benefit of deliverance without reflecting on the One who made that deliverance possible. We focus on the gift rather than the Giver.

This same tendency appears in our own lives. We speak of being saved, forgiven, and set free, and all of these things are true. But if we stop there, we begin to assume that such blessings are normal or even deserved. We forget what we were saved from, how we were saved, and who it was that saved us. When that happens, entitlement quietly replaces gratitude.

Gratitude grows when we remember both the depth of our need and the identity of our Deliverer. When we hold those together, we cannot help but respond with humility and thanksgiving. Entitlement says, “I deserve this life,” but gratitude says, “I was rescued into this life.” Entitlement asks, “Why isn’t this better?” but gratitude responds, “I cannot believe I am here at all.”

Rather than looking at the gifts, we must look at the Giver. Rather than focusing only on redemption, we must fix our attention on the Redeemer. When we truly remember what we have escaped, how we were brought out, and who made it possible, entitlement fades and gratitude is born.

“Fixing our eyes on Yeshua, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” — Hebrews 12:2