They’re everywhere—at restaurants, in schools, at work, in families and even in churches. They’re the same kind of people Jesus asked about in a story that needs to be read more often:
“Now it happened as He went to Jerusalem that He passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee. Then as He entered a certain village, there met Him ten men who were lepers, who stood afar off. And they lifted up their voices and said, ‘Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!’ So when He saw them, He said to them, ‘Go, show yourselves to the priests.’ And so it was that as they went, they were cleansed. And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, returned, and with a loud voice glorified God, and fell down on his face at His feet, giving Him thanks. And he was a Samaritan. So Jesus answered and said, ‘Were there not ten cleansed? But where are the nine? Were there not any found who returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?’ And He said to him, ‘Arise, go your way. Your faith has made you well’” (Luke 17:12-19).
Many Christians don’t realize how important it is to thank God and how serious it is when we don’t. When Jews in the Old Testament wanted to honor God, they thought of giving Him their livestock. That was fine with God, but He told them “their” livestock belonged to Him anyway. “Every beast of the forest is Mine, and the cattle on a thousand hills” (Psa. 50:10). But there is something that God wanted them to do: “Offer to God thanksgiving” (Psa. 50:14). That was one thing they could give Him that was uniquely theirs.
Ingratitude is not innocent neglect. When we take things for granted, it shows that we’re not looking at life like we should. We’re not thinking about God like we ought. How can we think about God without humbling ourselves before Him?
When Paul listed the who’s who of bad people in his last epistle, he mentioned those who are greedy, self-centered, brutal and—unthankful (II Tim. 3:2-3). He said the Gentiles left God and turned to idolatry, homosexuality, and all kinds of evil (Romans 1:18-32). How did they sink so low? They weren’t decent people who woke up one morning and decided to be homosexuals and idolaters. The descent into moral depravity started with what many today wouldn’t consider to be all that bad: “Although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful” (Rom. 1:21).
Ingratitude is an insult to God. How could it not be? It is said that a man resents a person who does the same thing he is guilty of. A drunkard who is sober can’t stand to be around a drunk. A liar hates to be lied to. Arrogant people don’t get along with each other.
The same is true of being unthankful. We resent it when we do something for people who don’t appreciate it. It bothers us to see young people whining when they have so much. Its angers us to hear people complaining when they ought to be on their knees thanking God. If we detest this sin in others (and it is a sin), then let us look into our hearts and decide to be (not just to say we should be) more thankful.
-Kerry Duke, Vice-President of Tennessee Bible College