Be A Grateful Person

Now, in a world which doesn’t understand grace, being “grateful” could be one of the hardest things. We are seeing less of “trust and gratitude” between relationships, but rather what is transactional. A child may grow up to be more and more ungrateful to his parents, forgetting the love and care he received from them since childhood. Talking to his parents will always mean having some agenda, like wanting a new handphone or some money to spend. Or a husband who have found new love and decided to divorce his wife have altogether forgotten the companionship and youthfulness rendered to him by the wife of his youth. I mean this can happen to the wife also. Or a young worker can quickly jump the boat when he sees some short-term benefits he could reap with another company.

As these phenomena are getting more prevalent, we ask ourselves: “What has gone wrong?” The simple answer is we have a generation of people who are less grateful. They don’t remember the good that is being done to them by others, but they only remember the “bad” that happens to them. They only remember what they’ve been deprived of, or what they wanted and din get it. It’s just like a teenager who doesn’t remember the good food, the fun places, the nice clothes and shoes, the necessities, the gadgets his parents have bought for him, or the freedom that his parents have given him. But when they’re deprived from a new handphone, or not being able to stay out late, that grievances stay in that kid for days, weeks or even months.

Now, what’s wrong with this generation?! What has gotten into us that made us so short sighted and such ungrateful people? What has made us such a creature that we only know our feelings, but ignorant about the fact of life? And that is what the Apostle Paul meant when he said there will be terrible times in the last days <2 Ti 3:1>. Sin has penetrated every culture, every ethos, and influence the way we think impetuously. And the evidence of that is we have become more ungrateful.

Now my brethren, if God has taken away His grace in this sinful world, we would have all perish in hell. In fact, in sin, we deserved nothing more than damnation. Yet, we lived on by His grace. We are born with people who love us, who didn’t give up on us. We are given opportunities. We are given second chances again and again. We are given the comfort of a first world country. If God would only withhold his grace from us, none of us will have anything we have now. We are actually living on borrowed time, sinners! So if you’re someone who keep forgetting the good that has been given you, while only grievous about the bad that is happening to you, understand that the grievousness in you is no fault of anyone, but it’s the result of your ungratefulness.

Now my brethren, if you have been a grievous, unhappy, dissatisfied person for most of your life, let me say that the healing of your heart come the moment you begin to be grateful for God’s grace in your life.

Now, let me bring you to <Luke 17> today to help you know how this work out.

As he (Jesus) was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy met him. They stood at a distance and called out in a loud voice, “Jesus, Master, have pity on us!” When he saw them, he said, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were cleansed. One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him—and he was a Samaritan. Jesus asked, “Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? Has no one returned to give praise to God except this foreigner?” Then he said to him, “Rise and go; your faith has made you well.”

Now, we know the problem of leprosy is not just the rotting of the physical flesh, but it has a lot to do with the problem of pride. Some of you might remember how Miriam criticize Moses and was struck with leprosy. Or King Uzziah who defy the priest when he entered the temple to offer his own incense. And the terrible thing about people who are struck with leprosy they have to isolate themselves from the people. He will be viewed as unclean, as sinful.

Now, think about this: Would a prideful person thank God for what he has? Would he be grateful? No. Because he is full of himself. So there comes ten who had leprosy and called out to the Lord Jesus now. And the Lord Jesus healed them of leprosy out of His grace. In fact, they’ve done nothing to deserve that healing. Yet, the Bible mentioned something explicitly after the physical healing. Only one person out of the ten being healed came back to Jesus to thank him. Only one was grateful. And what was noteworthy is he was a Samaritan, and outcast by the Jews. Apparently, the Jews who thought they deserve the healing did not come back to thank God, but the Samaritan did. He knew he didn’t deserve it, but receive healing out of God’s grace. And our Lord Jesus rendered him a greater blessing. He said: “Your faith has made you well”. Now, the whole point of this story is not about coming to Jesus to receive physical healing, but rather: “Who is the grateful one?” “Who is he that received much more than the physical healing?” i.e. the Samaritan. The Samaritan was not only set free from leprosy, but he was set free from a greater bondage in his life, i.e. the sin of pride. Now, the other nine could have been liberated physically, but as they get on in life, giving in to the sins of pride again, they will end up with greater problems in their lives. But the one who is thankful and come back praising God will live a new life after that, i.e. a life of transformation, a life of true liberation.

Now, what does that tell us, my brethren? If you do not know how to give thanks for people or things around you, understand that it is because you have been living with the sins of pride. The sins of pride have made you ungrateful and grievous towards people who love and care most about you. So repent in humility. Thank God that HE is still showing you grace. Thank God that you are still in His church. Thank God that HE is still restraining you. When you come to God with sincere thankfulness, that’s where you will begin to thank Him for people around you.