Awakening Of Humble Gratitude

“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 . . .” (2 Timothy 3:1–5)

Notice how ingratitude goes with pride, abuse and insubordination, and in another place apostle Paul says, “Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, ... but rather thanksgiving” (Ephesians 5:4). So it seems that gratitude is the opposite of ugliness and violence. The reason this is so is that the feeling of gratitude is a humble feeling not a proud one. It is other-exalting, not self-exalting. And it is glad-hearted not angry or bitter. The key to unlocking a heart of gratitude and overcoming bitterness and ugliness and disrespect and violence is a strong belief in God, the Creator and Sustainer and Provider and Hope-giver. If we do not believe we are deeply indebted to God for all we have or hope to have, then the very spring of gratitude has gone dry. So I conclude that the rise of violence and sacrilege and ugliness and insubordination in the last times is a God-issue. The basic issue is a failure to feel gratitude at the upper levels of our dependence. When the high spring of gratitude to God fails at the top of the mountain, soon all the pools of thankfulness begin to dry up further down the mountain. And when gratitude goes, the sovereignty of the self condones more and more corruption for its pleasure. Pray for a great awakening of humble gratitude. Hallelujah, God bless