Gratitude is an emotion similar to appreciation. It more specifically defined as a sense of happiness and thankfulness in response to a fortunate occurrence or tangible gift. Gratitude is both a state and a trait.
Humility is total dependence on God, recognizing all blessings as undeserved gifts, while gratitude is the thankful response to this grace, even in trials. Together, they form a cycle of faith—humility ushers in gratitude, and gratitude reinforces dependence, and manages pride. God grants grace to the humble and desires thankfulness in all circumstance
● 1 Thessalonians 5:18: "In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you."
● Job 1:21: "The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord."
Gratitude is recognizing that we have not done everything by ourselves, but that we depend on others most especially God, and need to appreciate them for what they do for us. Gratitude is the humble, continuous acknowledgment of God’s grace, goodness, and sovereignty in all situations, not just in times of blessing. It is a voluntary response of appreciation for God's undeserved favour, recognizing Him as the source of all good gifts.
Luke 17:15-18 (THE 10 LEPERS HEALED)
15 And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, returned, and with a loud voice glorified God, 16 and fell down on his face at His feet, giving Him thanks. And he was a Samaritan. 17 So Jesus answered and said, “Were there not ten cleansed? But where are the nine? 18 Were there not any found who returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?”
Philippians 4:6
6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; 7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
Gratitude is an attitude of appreciation under any situation. Gratitude involves being thankful, but it is more than that. Gratitude means expressing thankfulness and being appreciative of life daily even when things that excite us don’t happen.
Key Gods Aspects of Gratitude:
Resulting from Grace: Gratitude recognises that all good gifts come from God, who owes us nothing, yet gives us everything in our Lord Jesus Christ.
Gratitude stems from the “Word of God”: Causes expression of thanks in "all circumstances" and is God's will for believers, whether the situation feels positive or challenging.
Deep embedded Characteristic: gratitude is a conscious decision to focus on God's enduring love rather than on personal, temporary situations and feelings.
Inner deep Call: Readiness to recognize God’s favor and return kindness.
We live in times of ingratitude and entitlement these days this is a demonic attack on our society actually very serious spiritual dangers that can and has darken our hearts and destroyed our relationships with God and others.
1. The Root of Ingratitude: Entitlement
Entitlement is the belief that we seriously deserve certain privileges or special treatment.
Spiritual Sickness: Entitlement is a sin rooted in pride. It creates an "excessive sense of self-importance" and blinds individuals to the blessings they already possess.
The Self centred "I Deserve": Entitled individuals often focus on their perceived "rights" rather than their responsibilities, leading to frustration when life does not go their way.
A warning of the last Days: Paul warns in 2 Timothy 3:1-9 that in the "last days," people will be "unthankful" and "proud," making ingratitude the order of the Day.
2 Tim 3:1-8
But know this, that in the last days [a]perilous times will come: 2 For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, 3 unloving, [b]unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, 4 traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away! 6 For of this sort are those who creep into households and make captives of gullible women loaded down with sins, led away by various lusts, 7 always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. 8 Now as Jannes and Jambres resisted Moses, so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, disapproved concerning the faith; 9 but they will progress no further, for their folly will be manifest to all, as theirs also was.
2. Examples of Ingratitude
Luke 17:11-19 The Nine Lepers (): Jesus healed ten men, but only one—a Samaritan—returned to give praise. Jesus’ question, "Where are the other nine?" highlights the rarity of true gratitude and how easily we can accept God's gifts without acknowledging the Giver.
Numbers 14:2-4 The Israelites in the Wilderness: Despite God’s miraculous provision of manna and freedom from slavery, they grumbled and focused on what they lacked, even longing to return to Egypt.
Adam and Eve: Surrounded by a perfect paradise, they allowed the serpent to convince them that God was withholding something better, choosing discontentment over the abundance provided.
3. Consequences of an Ungrateful Heart
Darkened Hearts: Romans 1:21 states that when people knew God but "neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him," their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened.
Blocked Blessings: Ingratitude can turn potential blessings into a curse and hinder God’s approval in one's life (Malachi 2:2-3).
Relational Decay: Ungrateful people often exhibit toxic behavior, such as bitterness and a tendency to "bite the hand that feeds them," which destroys human relationships and trust.
4. Solution: Cultivating a Heart of Gratitude
Recognize the Source: True gratitude begins by acknowledging that everything we have is a gift from God (Psalm 100, 1 Corinthians 4:7).
Practice Active Thankfulness: We are commanded to "give thanks in all circumstances" (1 Thessalonians 5:18). This is not just a feeling but a "perspective-shaping habit".
Remember the Gospel: The remedy for entitlement is realizing our unworthiness before a holy God. When we understand the grace shown to us through Jesus Christ, we stop demanding to be served to a desire to serve others.
Pr. Edward Muwanga Barlow.