The Necessity of Gratitude

Let’s take a look at the situation of the world in these last days. We know that a shaking is coming. (See Hebrews 12:26–27.) Now, look at the disintegration of character, morality, and standards. Paul said:

“But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God — having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them.” (2 Timothy 3:1–5, NIV)

This is a terrible list of the moral defects and character degeneration that are going to mark the close of this age. I would predict that, if you go over that list again, you will find that most of these character defects are already conspicuous in our contemporary culture. And, right there in the middle of the list, it says that people are “disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love.” Notice the association. The ungrateful are right next door to the unholy. You cannot be holy and remain ungrateful. Since our God is a consuming fire (see, for example, Hebrews 12:29), He requires that we serve Him with holiness, which is appropriate. We also have to serve Him with gratitude. We must come to Him with thankfulness.

Let us show gratitude so that we may serve Him acceptably, with reverence and godly fear (see verse 28).