2nd Timothy 3:1-2, “This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy.” ... Colossians 3:15, “And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful.”
The Bible teaches in Romans 1:21b that the beginning of a progressive life
of sin and ruin starts with “neither were they thankful.” Gratitude plays a
far more important role in our lives than most people realize. To not say,
“Thank you,” is indicative of an ungrateful heart or, as saint Thomas Fuller
said:
“Ingratitude is the abridgment of all baseness; a fault never found unattended with other viciousness.” —Thomas Fuller (1606-1661)
I guarantee you that when a person is ungrateful, it is a symptom of other sins in that person's life. To not say “Thank you” is horrible. It shows a serious character flaw in a person's heart.
We should always be thankful to God for the blessings in our life. We should also be thankful toward others as a general rule. God knows that I never eat a bite of food without thanking God for His blessings. I'm sure there must be times when I forget, but if so, it is rare. I have my faults, but ingratitude is not one of them. When someone hands me a pen at the checkout counter at a store, I smile and thank them. I dropped the lid for my bottle of water at church last week. A little boy crawled under the chair and handed it to me, and I kindly thanked him. When you stop thanking others for their kindness, you are headed downhill quickly spiritually.
I am a big sinner, just like anybody else, but I don't use my sinnership as an excuse to sin. I sometimes hear people, who willfully sin, say: “We'll, I'm just a sinner!” Yeah, you're also a wicked person for relishing in the role as a sinner. Folks, admitting that you are a sinner doesn't make it OK to sin. God hates sin! The Holy Bibles warns that God is against those who do evil. 1st Peter 3:12, “For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil.” God is no respecter of persons. I don't care how much you may do for the Lord, or to help others, no one gets a free pass when it comes to committing evil. Granted, those who are redeemed in the Lord won't be punished in Hell, praise the Lord, but every believer still must be held accountable by God. “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.” (2nd Corinthians 5:10).
Americans in particular are a spoiled bunch. People are so ungrateful, both toward God and others. Children are ungrateful toward their parents (adult children especially). I speak concerning believers as well as unbelievers in Jesus Christ. People are people, and I've learned that being a believer has little to do with a person's individual character. For example: Christians divorce at the same rate as non-Christians. That speaks volumes as to the apostasy in today's churches. What's the use of going to church if you sit there Sunday after Sunday, and go home the same unchanged horrible person that you were a year ago? Seriously, something is way wrong!
A clear indicator that someone is walking close with the Lord Jesus Christ is a genuine spirit of gratitude, love and appreciation toward others. You show me a professed Christian who lacks gratitude, and I'll show you someone who doesn't walk close to God. Love seeks not its own, but seeks to help others. The heathen world is selfish, holds a grudge and doesn't appreciate anything. I just don't understand pastors who fail to express gratitude. I once knew a Baptist pastor in Chicago who failed to thank another local pastor, who donated a nice working grand piano to his church when he heard that they needed one (it's like $10,000 just for a used piano). When the generous minister asked why the recipient failed to thank him, the ungrateful minister literally said that he gave it to the Lord, not him, so why should he say “Thank you.” What a sorry ingrate!!! Folks, that is the way of the wicked world.
Ungrateful children say to their parents, “I didn't ask to be brought into this life.” Ungrateful children blame their parents for not raising them better. Biblically, no one can blame their parents for their own sins. Your mom and dad will have to answer to God, and only to God, for their sins and failures raising you. God is the only Judge (James 4:12). American adult children today are spoiled brats, high-minded, selfish and totally unappreciative toward their parents. Adult children often have an attitude of entitlement, as if their parents owe them. Thus, little gratitude is usually shown when parents do help out their children financially. You listen to me friend.. You love your parents, despite their faults, shortcomings and sins! You don't have to live with them, nor support their wickedness if they're abiding in sin, but you ought to still love them (at a distance if need be). Never condemn your parents for past mistakes. God will avenge all evil (Romans 12:19). Often the hardest people to love are those closest to us, because they treat us the worst. It is one's own family who usually treat us the worst, showing the least appreciation for our kindness! Love them anyway in the Lord, just as God the Father loves us for Jesus' sake (Ephesians 4:30-32).
The following Scripture speaks of false prophets who use the grace of God as an excuse to continue in sin...
Jude 1:4, “For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ.”
First, if a believer chooses to continue in sin, they are under God's grace and cannot lose their salvation. The Holy Bible says that grace will much more abound. Romans 5:20, “Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound.” Anyone who adds the requirement to depart from sinful behavior to be saved is of the Devil. Forsaking sinful activities is not necessary to be saved.
Second, it is wicked for anyone to have a lackadaisical attitude toward personal sins, just because the grace of God does abound.
I've met unbelieving heathens who expressed more sincere gratitude for my kindness, than faithful churchgoers who profess faith in Jesus Christ. I say that to their shame as a Christians. Something is very wrong with their walk in Christ. As believers we ought to always have a thankful spirit toward God and our fellow mankind. Ingratitude is a horrible character flaw, and a symptom of pride, selfishness and other sins in a person's heart.
I recently met a staff member of a local independent Baptist church in public. We talked for five minutes. I mailed the staff member $60 worth of Alexander Scourby King James Bibles. I sent the package to the church's address. The person unkindly responded, telling me never to contact them again, and they never thanked me for the audio Bibles. Really great Christian, huh? The individual is a Bob Jones University graduate. I'll tell you, I've never met so many shallow religious people as the Bob Jones crowd. The church in question despises me, because of my King James Bible only position. I am hated for standing for what is right.
Thankfully, God is on my side, and I will be fully vindicated at the Judgment Seat of Christ. I pray that God doesn't let them off easy on the matter. No doubt, in eternity they'll all be scurrying like cowards, apologizing to me with some silly grin on their face. I can hear it know, “Hey, you were right after all” (wink! wink!). If they do try to downplay their wickedness someday in Heaven, I sincerely pray that the Lord intercedes and says something like:
Don't you dare smile at him like it's no big deal. You unfaithful servants!!! You have your reward. You received a paycheck for your labors on earth, which is the only reward you'll ever receive from me. YOU GET NOTHING!!! I'm not going to reward you for supporting the Devil's corrupt Alexandrian Bible versions! I'm not going to reward you for promoting counterfeit Bibles that perverted the Gospel. I'm not going to reward you for promoting the satanic heresy of Lordship Salvation, as taught in the modern Bible revisions. I'm not going to reward you for supporting evil Bible versions that teach manmade repentance, attack My deity, remove the Godhead, and that remove the precious blood which I shed for your sins!!! YOU HAVE BEEN UNFAITHFUL STEWARDS. You rejected the truth when my faithful servants, like David, kindly warned you, but you belittled him, ostracized him and turned him away as your enemy. Well, he is my faithful servant, and you are my enemies!
I sincerely believe that Jesus will say something like that to them one day, for betraying the purity of the Word of God.
One of their pastors called me a member of a cult a couple years ago, when they confronted me and gave me an ultimatum to “cease and desist” or I was not welcome. I cried tears of sadness as a left at their request.
the recipient of blessings.
