Antidote for an Ungrateful Heart
Scripture Reading — 2 Timothy 3:1-7
There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive . . . ungrateful, unholy. . . .
If you ever meet ungrateful people, you know how much they can discourage you from doing good. Just recently we mailed a free Bible to one of our listeners. A few weeks later he sent us an angry letter saying that we sent a wrong translation in a cheap cover and with a font that isn’t large enough.
Of course, there are many times when we ourselves display ungratefulness to others. Sadly, it comes to us so naturally that we often don’t even notice we have been unthankful to the people around us.
It’s no wonder that the apostle Paul includes ungratefulness in his list of common sins peculiar to “the last days,” the era that began with Christ’s first coming.
Obviously, being ungrateful is a serious thing in our social interactions, for it hurts others. But being ungrateful can also be deadly in our spiritual life, for it hurts God and damages our soul. Being ungrateful to Jesus means discounting his salvation and turning away from him. That’s why the Bible teaches us to carefully examine our hearts.
The best biblical antidote for an ungrateful heart is this: “Be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus” (2 Timothy 2:1). Only by looking to the cross of Christ can we attain God-pleasing thankfulness.
Lord, fill our hearts with thanksgiving to you for your love and salvation in Christ. Teach us to love our neighbors by showing our gratitude to them too. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
About the author — Sergei Sosedkin
Rev. Sergei Sosedkin is the Russian-language ministry leader for ReFrame Ministries. He is a native of Moscow, Russia. As he oversees the Russian-language ministry, Rev. Sosedkin works from our office in Grand Rapids and in various locations in Russia.
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