40 Days of Preparation Day 15

Today, Saturday March 10, 2012, is the fifteenth day of preparing our hearts, souls and minds for the most high of all Christian holy days, Easter Sunday. Today I need to “put off” ungratefulness and “put on”gratefulness. There are few things which make my blood pressure rise as quickly as to see anyone receive a gift and be ungrateful. When my children were younger I made certain that they thanked whomever had given them a gift regardless of how small the gift might be because I wanted to teach them to always be grateful.

As a nation we collectively say thank you on Thanksgiving day, but the biblical reality is that we are to be grateful continually.

²⁸ Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, ²⁹ for our God is a consuming fire. Hebrews 12:28–29 (ESV)

This is not always the case, however. In fact one of the characteristics of the people who will be alive during the last days is their ungratefulness.

¹ But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. ²For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, ³ heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, ⁴ treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, ⁵ having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people.   2 Timothy 3:1-5 (ESV)

A failure to give God proper gratitude is also a characteristic of those whose thinking is futile and whose hearts are darkened.

²¹ For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Romans 1:21 (ESV)

I clearly do not want to be counted among those who do not honor God so I need to “put off” ungratefulness and “put on” gratefulness.

Jesus was also confronted by people who had been the recipients of His healing but did not show gratefulness to God.

¹¹ On the way to Jerusalem he was passing along between Samaria and Galilee. ¹² And as he entered a village, he was met by ten lepers, who stood at a distance ¹³ and lifted up their voices, saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.” ¹⁴ When he saw them he said to them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went they were cleansed. ¹⁵ Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice;¹⁶and he fell on his face at Jesus’ feet, giving him thanks. Now he was a Samaritan. ¹⁷ Then Jesus answered, “Were not ten cleansed? Where are the nine? ¹⁸Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?” ¹⁹ And he said to him, “Rise and go your way; your faith has made you well.” Luke 17:11–19 (ESV)

Please do not overlook the fact that the leper which shows his gratefulness is a Samaritan (the most hated and despised ethnic group known to the Jewish people of Jesus’ time). When confronted by this grateful leper’s actions and attitude Jesus says “Rise and go your way; your faith has made you well.”

Jesus’ statement to the grateful leper introduces the role which faith plays in our proper expression of gratefulness. While all those who possess saving faith will be grateful to God whether they receive any other blessing or not, those who do not exhibit this faith are also never grateful to God even when they are given great blessings. Thus, I need to examine whether or not I am truly grateful to God because my gratefulness or ungratefulness is a good indicator of the presence of saving faith.

In his letter to the church at Ephesus Paul reminds us that among others, one characteristic which all Christians are to exhibit will be continual gratefulness “giving thanks always.” Therefore, I need to “put off” ungratefulness and “put on” gratefulness.

¹⁵ Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, ¹⁶ making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. ¹⁷ Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. . . ¹⁸ . . . be filled with the Spirit, ¹⁹ addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, ²⁰giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, ²¹ submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ. Ephesians 5:15–21 (ESV)

Being ungrateful can lead me to become bitter and fail to give God glory.  Such behavior is not only unwise but sinful. Once more Paul writes;

¹⁸ give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 1 Thessalonians 5:18 (ESV)

Paul says that being grateful “to give thanks” is the will of God for us in Christ.  Any failure to obey God’s will in my life is sin!  So being grateful is not simply about my having a proper disposition or attitude but it is also about my not sinning.  Therefore, today, right now, I need to “put off” ungratefulness and “put on” gratefulness.