4 “But I have been the Lord your God
    ever since you came out of Egypt.
You shall acknowledge no God but me,
    no Savior except me.
5 I cared for you in the wilderness,
    in the land of burning heat.
6 When I fed them, they were satisfied;
    when they were satisfied, they became proud;
    then they forgot me.
7 So I will be like a lion to them,
    like a leopard I will lurk by the path. Hosea 13:4-7

We would never come out and say it, but many of us think that God owes us. As much as we might decry the sense of entitlement in our country, many of us act that way towards God. When God judged the nation of Israel through the prophet Hosea, he called out their pride (something that should scare us all just a little). God had provided for Israel, but Israel became proud. Instead of being grateful for the gifts, she began to expect them. Rather than being thankful, Israel became entitled. Israel began to worship the gifts, not the Giver.

And so God declared judgment on them. God hates pride. That’s why James 4:6 says: 6 God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. That’s why Jesus starts his most famous sermon with a call to humility: 3 Blessed are the poor in Spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven (Matthew 5:3).

So this question should haunt all of us living in a first-world country like America: Has your comfort turned to pride? Have you stopped thanking God for his blessings and started expecting them? Do you get angry with God when things don’t go exactly as you want because you think somehow He owes you a perfect and pain-free life? Are you looking more to the gift or the Giver? Do you approach life with more of a sense of entitlement or humility?

Do you want God to bless you and favor you? Kill entitlement and cultivate humility.