"What's in it for me?"

Hmmmm..... 

This is a question we hear spewing out of people's mouths at will, in almost any situation where one person is asking another for assistance. "What do I get out of it?" is a question that is nearly always the reciprocation to any plea for help, however large or small, as if that question were a part of the person's DNA. Then, the person asking for help either has a plan for how to repay the one helping him, or is probing his brain for any possible mediocre recompense that might satisfy the one he is indebted to. This "works based" culture leaves many people crippled because the work they do or the repayment they attempt to provide is never good enough for the other party, which leads to a vicious cycle of needing help from others (because everyone needs help from others at times), feeling like they can't repay the other person/party, and therefore not asking and suffering in their incapacitation. Sound familiar?

Where does this come from, though? Why do we have this raging sense of entitlement that billows over into our relationships with one another?

Numerous people have come up with some fancy, philosophical explanations to tell us the answers to those questions, but really it all boils down to one word. Sin. This is what puts us in opposition to the way God intended us to live. Sin, in a very basic definition, is the opposite of what God wants. So, how is wanting someone to give you what "you're due" sin, you ask? Well, it's complicated, and that in and of itself is not always sin. If you'd like to get a deeper explanation or have a deeper discussion, you can contact me here. For the sake of this post, though, I need to keep moving.

There are times when you must, and should, pay for things that you receive. It happens every day at the grocery store, gas station, restaurants, etc. For a second, though, think about when the last time was that you gave someone something and expected nothing in return. Whether it was an openly expressed gratitude or an anonymous gift, when did that take place? Has it ever taken place? Better yet, here's maybe a more applicable question. (You don't even have to be the one to initiate this one.) When is the last time someone asked you for help and you helped them, without asking for anything in return?

That question may not have the answer you'd like to share with the world. It doesn't have to stay that way, though. The next time you think that someone owes you or that you won't help anyone because you won't get anything out of it, think about this. God, THE God, came to earth in human form and sacrificed Himself on a cross and bore the sins of all humanity so that we could have the opportunity to live eternally with Him in heaven. What did he get in return? Broken, nasty sinners like you and me whose best gifts to offer are like filthy rags. Great prize, huh? I don't know about you, but that compels me to follow His example and attempt to lay my life down for His sake and the sake of others as well. Will you do the same?