THE SPIRIT OF UNGRATEFULNESS

THE SPIRIT OF UNGRATEFULNESS

Scripture: Proverbs 17:13

Topic: The Spirit of Ungratefulness

"Whoso rewardeth evil for good, evil shall not depart from his house."

Proverbs 17:13

Many people are ungrateful for what they have. They do not value God. They do not value the church, the pastors, or their teachers. They do not value anybody who helps them. It’s only a few people who remember, and are grateful for what was done for them. 

A pastor can sacrifice the best part of his life for his congregation. He can take time off to pray for them, counsel them, and nurture them with the Word. He will give all of his time to them at the expense of his family. However, it is amazing that many people do not value what the pastor does for them. They easily forget the sacrifice he made on their behalf.

Jesus knew that we could easily forget the price He paid on the cross, so He instituted the “Lord’s Supper”. The Lord’s Supper is intended to remind us of the true founder of the Christian Church. Other people could easily overshadow Christ if we allow it. The pastor is not the hero of the church; Christ is! 

At weddings, I administer communion to the bride and groom. Why do I do this? In that moment of their great joy, I want us all to remember that the marriage was made possible by Christ our Saviour. I want us to remember Christ and be grateful to Him.

When you listen to the response to the toast by some bridegrooms, you realize they are more grateful to other people for their marriage than to God. He is grateful to the one who connected him to the bride; but friend, the greatest connector is Jesus. Let us be grateful to Him! One result of ungratefulness is that it opens the door to all sorts of plagues. 

"Whoso rewardeth evil for good, evil shall not depart from his house."

Proverbs 17:13

Many people do not appreciate what somebody did to get them into the opportunities they had in life. As a father, I now understand what my parents went through for many years in order to give me a sound education. I have to wake up early each morning to take my children to school. As I do this, I begin to comprehend the inconveniences my parents went through on my behalf. If I refuse to show gratitude after all these sacrifices, I will be inviting curses on my life.

You should always remember never to repay evil to somebody who has been good to you be it your pastor, mother, father, stepmother, stepfather, or whoever.

Jeremiah was one of the men of God in biblical times who suffered at the hands of ungrateful people. In the twentieth chapter of Jeremiah, he asked a soul-searching question:

"Shall evil be recompensed for good?..."

Jeremiah 18:20a

He complained to God that his church members had dug a pit for his soul. He was reminding God that as a pastor he had interceded many times for them.

"...Remember that I stood before thee to speak good for them, and to turn away thy wrath from them."

Jeremiah 18:20b

After that he cursed them:

"Therefore deliver up their children...and pour out their blood...Let a cry be heard from their houses...forgive not their iniquity...Shall evil be recompensed for good?"

Jeremiah 18:21-23, 20

The Bible makes it clear that curses follow ungratefulness. Politically, people are ungrateful. I sometimes wonder about the lives of politicians, because people are generally ungrateful to them. At least in the ministry, God will reward us in Heaven. The reward for many politicians is ungratefulness. That is why it is called a thankless job.

People are generally ungrateful. Some children grow up to insult and mistreat their parents. Whether your mother is a prostitute or not, she is still your mother. Whether your father is a criminal or not he is still your father! Respect them and be grateful to them for at least bringing you into this world.

All ministers of the Gospel should know that people are generally ungrateful. You would be naive to think that people (generally speaking) will appreciate your efforts.

Jesus knew it! He experienced it! One time, following an attempted murder, Jesus asked the angry crowd:

"...Many good works have l shewed you from my Father; FOR WHICH OF THOSE WORKS DO YE STONE ME?"

John 10:32

The people were going to stone Jesus for doing good. May God help us never to be ungrateful.

Ask yourself am l an ungrateful person?

Excerpt from:

Opportunities

Bishop Dag Heward-Mills