THE AGE OF UNTHANKFULNESS
By Wade Martin Hughes, Sr. Kyfingers@aol.com
This week I went to Nashville to visit a man in the Medical Center at Vandy.
I left the room and headed for home about 8 PM. I knew my wife would have
supper waiting when I arrived home, so I knew better than eating.
But I was so thirsty. I stopped at a gas station and bought an ice tea.
The man working was very frail and sickly. I was whistling a song.
THE FRAIL MAN SAID: I LOVE LIFE, AND I SEE YOU DO TOO!
He explained he had been in a long battle with cancer. He had the best chemo
and radiation possible. He had been very low and now he was able to be
back at work. He clearly stated: I LOVE LIFE!
I have been thinking so much: DO I TESTIFY TO OTHERS THAT I LOVE LIFE?
DO YOU?
Did you hear about the man in jail, he said:
I CAN'T SING HERE IN JAIL, I DO NOT HAVE THE RIGHT KEY?
ONE OF THE TRAITS SOCIETY AND THE CHURCH WILL DEVELOP IN THE
SEASON OF THE LAST DAYS WILL BE UNTHANKFULNESS.
2 Timothy 3:2 For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters,
proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,
We often are defeated in bad attitudes teamed with poor choices of words.
One trait of the last day people will be UNTHANKFULNESS.
While this will be true of the whole, we don’t have to fit into this mold.
We should develop a habit of giving thanks.
This thanks should be God ward, but it should also be directed to our family and
friends. We can often develop thanks toward God and forget giving thanks
to those that we love and serve.
We must look beyond the value of the gift and see the value of the giver.
This is a lesson I learned painfully.
It does not matter if the back of the card says Hallmark, or it is a colored scrap of
paper. The gift of a rock or a dandelion can root it self in deep love and admiration.
Many of the maladies of life develop with a lack of giving thanks, appreciation, or
the lack of expressing our thanks.
Often we assume, --- well they know?
Let us look at why we are unthankful?
IT IS THE WILL OF GOD THAT HIS PEOPLE ARE THANKFUL...
1 Thessalonians 5:18 (KJV) In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in
Christ Jesus concerning you.
1 Thessalonians 5:18 (NIV) give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for
you in Christ Jesus.
1 Thessalonians 5:18 (MSG) thank God no matter what happens. This is the way God
wants you who belong to Christ Jesus to live.
WHAT IS THANKFULNESS?
A good feeling you have towards someone that has helped you.
To tell another you are grateful for something they have done or given.
To express gratitude,
To admire someone or something that is good, valuable, or important.
Appreciation, to sense awareness
To tell that you are grateful, to appreciate benefits
HAVE WE EVER CONSIDERED WHAT GOD MIGHT WANT?
THE FOURTH THURSDAY IN NOVEMBER...
God might desire more than a TURKEY and a PARTY LIKE, POMPOUS ATTITUDE
proclaiming THANKS one Thursday a year.
Luke 18:11 The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee,
that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as
this publican.
Perhaps our Heavenly Father would like to see HUMBLE DAILY THANKSGIVING and
real kindness & service EACH DAY OF THE YEAR.
YOU CAN NEVER BE WHOLE WITHOUT THANKFULNESS!
CONSIDER, WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO BE MADE WHOLE? COMPLETE? TOTAL?
9 PEOPLE WERE SO CAUGHT UP IN THEIR RELIGIOUS DUTIES AND TRADITIONS
There were nine religious people so bound by DUTIES, that they missed the REALITY
OF THE MOMENT.
The official healing needed to be confirmed by THE PRIEST at church.
There were NINE that knew THE FORM OF GODLINESS...
Luke 17:15 One of them, when he saw that he was healed, came back to Jesus,
shouting, “Praise God!” 16 He fell to the ground at Jesus’ feet, thanking him for what
he had done. This man was a Samaritan. 17 Jesus asked, “Didn’t I heal ten men?
Where are the other nine? 18 Has no one returned to give glory to God except this
foreigner?” 19 And Jesus said to the man, “Stand up and go. Your faith has healed you.”
SEEMS THE FOREIGNER HAD MORE THAN A FORM.
THIS MAN HAD THE HEART MOTIVE... OF THANKS...
SOMETHING WAS MISSING --- THE PERSONAL TOUCH OF THANKSGIVING...
9 were healed, 1 WAS MADE WHOLE... THANKSGIVING COMPLETES US.
To consider THANKFULNESS WE MUST TOO CONSIDER UNTHANKFULNESS,
and how a lack of thankfulness shows a lack of self discipline.
We must cause our hearts to value and flow freely with thanksgiving.
UNTHANKFULNESS as well as Thanksgiving will REVEAL THE REAL ATTITUDES
THAT WE CARRY.
Unthankfulness will SHOW SOMETHING IS WRONG.
Thanksgiving will show it is beneficial to all.
HOW EASY IS IT TO FORGET OUR BLESSINGS?
WE JUST FORGET TO LISTEN TO OTHERS, THEN WE REFUSE TO GIVE THANKS?
Has God blessed us with:
1. Reasonable health 3. A sound mind 5. Family & Friends
2. Seeing eyes 4. Arms & Legs that work 6. Job
James 1:23 (NLT) For if you listen to the word and don’t obey, it is like
glancing at your face in a mirror. 24 You see yourself, walk away, and forget
what you look like. 25 But if you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you
free, and if you do what it says and don’t forget what you heard, then God
will bless you for doing it.
HOW EASY IS IT TO FORGET GOD'S GOODNESS?
This means we listened, decided on a course of action, and then we just
flat out forgot.
It is also easy to forget what is not real important.
WOW. If we can forget the covenant and if we can forget the Lord, what would
the danger of forgetting thankfulness be.
How many times have we planned on sending a card, making a phone call, or taking
someone to lunch and we just forgot?
HOW EASY IS IT TO FORGET TO BE THANKFUL? TO GRUMBLE AND COMPLAIN?
Remember how Mordecai helped the King, and he was forgotten?
One night the King was reading some "notes" and he remembered.
I suggest we should take action while we remember.
JOSEPH WAS FORGOTTEN BY THE BUTCHER/BAKER? They promised to remember?
Discipline your self to remember thanksgiving.
Someone let you drive that first time?
Someone changed your diaper?
Someone taught you in Sunday School?
How many have helped us along the way and we have planned on encouraging
and thanking them, but we have forgotten?
How many times has the Lord been merciful to us, and we have forgotten?
REMIND US, O, LORD!
HOW MUCH IS ENOUGH? THE MORE YOU GIVE THE MORE IS EXPECTED...
Psalm 92:1 It is a good thing to give thanks unto the LORD, and to sing praises
unto thy name, O most High:
I have a friend that thought he would be nice, so he started making the bed every
Saturday morning. The wife was still in bed through the week when he left for work.
She made the bed 6 days a week. He made it on Saturday.
He got very angry at her for UNTHANKFULNESS as he bad the bed.
He fussed and fussed at her for being UNTHANKFUL.
She sat on the couch and cried:
WHO DOES HE THINK HE IS?
I MAKE THE BED 6 DAYS A WEEK AND HE NEVER SAYS THANKS?
WE CAN NOT SEE WHAT GOD IS SAVING US FROM--- OR WE MIGHT JUST
FALL ON OUR KNEES AND THANK GOD FOR THE TRIALS THAT COME OUR WAY.
We have lustful attitudes and always want more?
The Lord is my shepherd I shall not want?
There is a spirit of greed that grows in poor soil?
Where our daily emphasis are on the riches and things of this world we are
bound to unthankfulness.
Happiness is not found by gaining our desires.
Often chasing rainbows will cause us to be conquered by things.
Luke 12:15 And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness:
for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.
WHAT DRIVES YOU? DOES ANGER, WRATH, BITTERNESS BIRTH IN US
A SPIRIT OF UNTHANKFULNESS?
A spirit of anger, hatred, bitterness, UNFORGIVENESS WILL ALWAYS HINDER
THANKSGIVING.
We often develop victim spirits where unforgiveness thrives?
Unforgiveness and anger build dams that stop the flow of God.
Bitterness causes frozen commication lines.
Genesis 37:4 And when his brethren saw that their father loved him more than all
his brethren, they hated him, and could not speak peaceably unto him.
WHY WOULD YOU NOT APPRECIATE YOUR BROTHER?
Oten brothers can not talk peacably to their dreaming brother of hope.
They will later eat often at his table, but they can’t talk now---
there is unforgiveness.
Bury the hachet, but not in their head. Forgive and release yourself.
WHY WORRY WHEN YOU CAN PRAY... IF YOU ARE REALLY THANKFUL YOU
DO NOT HAVE TO WORRY... WORRY CHOKES THANKFULNESS TO DEATH...
Matthew 13:22 (NLT) The seed that fell among the thorns represents those who
hear God’s word, but all too quickly the message is crowded out by the worries
of this life and the lure of wealth, so no fruit is produced.
A spirit of worry chokes the WORD AND THANKFULNESS.
Good fruit is not a product of worry.
Philippians 4:6 (NLT) Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything.
Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.
You will never have a thankful heart while you set in a dark corner worrying.
Worry is doubt. Doubt is a lack of faith.
Get up, wash off. God is in control. Have faith in God. You can trust God.
Psalm 100:4 Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise:
be thankful unto him, and bless his name.
Psalm 107:1 O give thanks unto the LORD, for he is good: for his mercy endureth
for ever.
Scarred hands minister to scarred lifes.
Thankfulness thrives in the fertile soil of a complete trust in the PLAN of
His scarred hands.
His servant, Wade Martin Hughes, Sr. Kyfingers@aol.com
