Articles
Genuine Gratitude
Within the list of those Paul warned Timothy against, who would be coming “in the last days,” were such unpleasant ones as the “boasters, proud, blasphemers…unholy…slanderers…brutal” and the “unthankful” (2 Tim. 3:1-5). Unthankful? Yes, the unthankful! Amongst that list of people most of us would seek to avoid were the “unthankful.”
While we might not include the “unthankful” amongst this list, God did, and we would do well to understand why. Just as John saw, in the vision of the Judgment, along with the “cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, [and] murderers” cast into fiery lake were “all liars” (Rev. 21:8), sometimes, the acts we see as ‘not so bad’ are still sin to God. The point to be noted is that while man may categorize sins in arbitrary scales of not-so-bad, bad, very bad, and heinous, to God, sin is sin. Being unthankful [ungrateful] is one of those things. But why is being ungrateful ‘so bad’?
Ingratitude Comes from Self-Centered Thinking. One who thinks only of self will quite often make life all about pleasing self, rather than God or his fellow man. In our society, where an overwhelming majority think the purpose in life is to be happy, we have many who are pursuing just that, and as they alone can define it. When others do them a favor, it is not seen as a favor, but merely a means to an end. If they happen to obtain some material thing they believe will bring them happiness, there is no thought of thankfulness because, well, it is what they wanted. Next question?
In the first century, some religious leaders had a very self-centered mindset, though they should have had a God-centered mind. When Jesus came along, they rejected Him because He wasn’t the Messiah they wanted; besides, He criticized and condemned them (cf. Matt. 23; Matt. 15:7-9). When some were amazed at the teaching of Jesus, their self-centered thinking was brought to light when they said, “Are you also deceived? Have any of the rulers or the Pharisees believed in Him? But this crowd that does not know the law is accursed” (John 7:47-49). In their self-inflated view of matters, everyone else should have been looking to them for answers, rather than the Son of God!
With such thinking, these men and other religious leaders, when confronted with an undeniable truth of miracles, did not make a decision based on what should have been a foregone conclusion [Jesus was who He claimed to be: the Son of God]; no, they gathered together and said amongst themselves, “What shall we do? For this Man works many signs. If we let Him alone like this, everyone will believe in Him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and nation” (John 11:47, 48). They were not thinking of salvation coming to man, but only holding on to power. Instead of thanking God for sending His Son, they plotted then to kill Him (John 11:53).
Gratitude would have changed the whole picture! If only they had set self aside and sought after God’s will, things would have been drastically different. The same could be said of this world at just about any point in history, actually. Self-centered thinking is responsible for much evil in this world, from all kinds of crimes [stealing, robbery, murder, sexual immorality] to some of the most horrific mass killings and genocide, to wars over land or natural resources, to many other unspeakable acts. In all these things, self is the center of their thinking, and there is no reason, in their mind, to be grateful. What they gain, to them, is deserved. Which brings us to the next point:
Ingratitude Produces ‘Entitlement’ Thinking. I have recently finished reading a book written 15 years ago, but is even more relevant today; the book is The Narcissism Epidemic: Living in the Age of Entitlement. The information found within this book [written by two psychologists who have no religious background or agenda] points to a very self-centered society that has come to ‘expect’ a certain level of material pleasures, special recognition, and preferential treatment. Based on this self-centered thinking, we have produced a generation or two of highly narcissistic citizens who would have a hard time defining gratitude because it is not something they seem to be familiar with. Their thinking is, “Why should I be thankful? I deserve this!”
It is this thinking that has led many today to think of themselves as ‘deserving’ of even eternal salvation! Though few have cracked open a Bible to see what God has actually said, many today think of themselves as ‘good’ and deserving of eternal life; many in this country have no knowledge of Jesus and, consequently, have no faith at all, but falsely believe God won’t keep them out of heaven. They know nothing of the great gift He has given to us who are, in reality, undeserving: His Son.
It was this sin-filled world, populated with millions who have rejected God and rejected Jesus as the Christ and world’s only Savior, that God “so loved…that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). You see, we are not deserving of forgiveness and eternal life, but separation from God (Rom. 6:23) and eternal punishment (2 Thess. 1:8-10). Though we were and are undeserving, God does not want us to be condemned; but if we are ungrateful for this great gift of eternal life and think we are good enough for heaven without His Son’s sacrifice, we can eliminate heaven as our final and eternal place of abode.
So, how can we be people of gratitude, instead? How can we attain to a mindset that will help us to be thankful?
Humility. The greatest shortcoming of a narcissistic society is humility; this is a mindset of ‘others first, me last’ — completely opposite of current society’s practice! But God’s word is plain: “Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up” (Jas. 4:10); and, “Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you” (1 Pet. 5:6, 7). Humility will help us to see none of us is deserving of any rewards, and will be thankful for every small blessing from God, and eternally grateful for the greatest blessing of all: forgiveness and eternal life because of His Son.
Love. It would have been easy to put ‘selfless’ as the next characteristic, but this is necessarily a part of what true love is. Paul describes the attributes of love in 1 Cor. 13:4-8, and within this we find “love…does not seek its own” [“not self-seeking”, NIV]. Love is a wholly selfless attribute, for it moves us to think of others before self, and seeks the good of others at all times. Especially when our love is directed at God and Christ, we cannot help but then be grateful, as a result. When we consider all God did and all Jesus did to bring salvation to mankind, it is only the hardest of hearts and most thankless who can shrug their shoulders with indifference and ingratitude.
When the writer of Hebrews sought to admonish and exhort the brethren to hold fast their faith in Jesus, he warned of dire consequences should they turn their backs on Him and the priceless sacrifice He made (Heb. 10:26-31). We would do well to read and heed those admonitions and warnings, lest our ingratitude bring God’s wrath on us.
“Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!” (2 Cor. 9:15). — Steven Harper
