Ungrateful ?

Thursday July 29, 2021

Ungrateful ?

2 Timothy 3.2 - For men will be... ungrateful.

The word “ungrateful” translates from the Greek “acharistos”. The "a" translates to "absence of" and "charistos" is probably a derivative of charizomai which means, among other things : to be kind, to grant forgiveness or to forgive a debt. So we can translate it this way : men will be disagreeable, unable to forgive and resentful !

Ingratitude is an attitude that displeases God greatly. Jesus was deeply offended when only one of the ten lepers returned to give glory to God (Luke 17:17). The people of Israel in the wilderness "weary" the patience of God with their attitude of discontent. Our spiritual life will not progress or little if we remain in an ungrateful attitude. Knowing how to say thank you and be grateful is important, towards God, but also towards our fellow human beings. Truth be told, lack of gratitude often shows a hard and selfish heart.

What then of the lack of forgiveness ? We have already discussed this subject often. Our own forgiveness, and we all need it, is conditioned by our own ability to forgive. When we don't want to forgive and hold all kinds of grudges, we demonstrate that we believe we are perfect and that we don't need God's forgiveness for our lives. A heart touched by grace will be magnanimous. He will not want to lose the flow of this grace and encumber himself with bad feelings like bitterness, resentment and hatred !

A child of God who bathes in an attitude of gratitude will be in good spiritual health. How to know our attitude of heart in this area ? Just listen to us talk !

My beloveds, let us think about it a little : the salvation that our God has granted us is so extraordinary that it should provoke in us a permanent state of recognition, even if "life" is not always easy ! Add to that all the interventions of God on our behalf, there is something to give thanks to him, right ? As the hymn says : "Count the bounties of God, put them all before your eyes, and you will see as you worship, how many are there".

Good reflection.

Source (Ezekiel 37 Ministries)