Privilege?

Are we better than others? Do we walk on the other side of the road when we see someone in need? Our sense of privilege can get in the way being his hands and feet. 

Invest Our Talents

During World War 2, bombs fell on Poland. One lone building partly survived the bombs…a wall stood with these words clearly legible: “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.”  Bombs will continue to fall in our world because of sin. Our world was corrupted by sin. This world will  be impacted by natural and man-made calamities. This will continue to happen until Christ returns to set up his new kingdom. Until that time, we should invest the talents God has given us while there is still time. There are people in our communities that need the love of God. In addition to praying for world peace, let’s pray for peace on our street. 

I recently read this question in a Bible study: “Are you on the front lines in the defense of Christianity, or has your love for God grown cold?” Wow, really? Does Christianity really need to be defended? You may know that I love history. That question sounds like a recruiting poster for the war against the Turks in the battle that saved Christendom in 1683. 

Hero King

The Great Siege of Vienna was the historical culmination of the Turks’ long struggle against Christian Europe. The besieging force was the largest Turkish army ever assembled. Vienna was the door to Central Europe. Within the city walls, the choice was surrender or be ruthlessly slaughtered. The hero of the defense of Christendom was the Polish King John Sobieski. He led the largest cavalry charge in history with 18,000 winged Hussars. They charged down the hill and broke the Turkish siege. The Christian forces had won the battle.

Yet, the call to come to the defense of Christendom was more about kingdoms, culture, power, and money than about coming to God’s defense. It was about entitlement. God doesn’t need us to defend him. God doesn’t need us to argue his side on Facebook. American prosperity has nothing to do with God’s plan for our world. 

Don’t Be a Jerk

“What about me?” This one question will keep you from serving God and cause us to act like a jerk.

It is human nature to compare ourselves to others. “I deserve it more than she does.” “I’ve worked harder than he has.” This also lets us off the hook. “I don’t need to help them. They should help themselves.” You know the saying, “Give a man a fish and he eats for a day. Teach a man to fish and he’ll eat for a lifetime.” This is a silly statement and it is not in the Bible. It is a rationalization that justifies me saying “No” to God. “No, I don’t need to give to him or her. If they only learned to fish; they could help themselves.” 

I love this idea from John Pavlovitz, If God Is Love, Don’t Be a Jerk. God is love and we are children of that love. Our feelings of privilege can get in the way of us being like Jesus. We are called to shine the light of Jesus’ love to the world around us.

The truth is that we are our brother’s [and sister’s] keepers. Don’t be a jerk. We all have needs. God understands this. Our cup will overflow with blessings as we serve others. 

Privilege or Responsibility

Our feelings of privilege can get in the way of doing God’s work. We are no more entitled than anyone else. If we feel we are better than others, we are just like the Pharisees in Jesus’ day. We will walk on the other side of the road when we see someone in need. Instead, we have a responsibility to hear Jesus’ voice calling us to be the Good Samaritan. 

“Those who are gracious to the poor lend to the Lord, and the Lord will repay them.”

Proverbs 19:17

Copyright © 2023 Chuck Locklear

Also, see Growth Mindset.