Battling Ingratitude Part 1

Nick Minerva • May 23, 2021

Is ingratitude a big deal? Why is gratitude important? To some degree we know that we are supposed to be grateful but we tend to only think about it around Thanksgiving and it isn’t something that we are overly concerned about. But consider the following passage.

2 Timothy 3:1-5 But know this: Hard times will come in the last days. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, proud, demeaning, disobedient to parents, ungrateful , unholy, unloving, irreconcilable, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, without love for what is good, traitors, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, holding to the form of godliness but denying its power. Avoid these people.

That is a pretty intense list. We read that list and think, “Yea, we should avoid people like that. Demeaning. Lovers of self. Traitors. Without self-control. Brutal.” But notice one of the items right smack in the middle of this list:  ungrateful . Ingratitude doesn’t seem like it should be on this list of horrible sins, but there it is. 

The Danger Of Ingratitude

Ingratitude is a refusal to surrender too and be happy with the life that God has chosen for us. It’s is not valuing the blessings that God has given us and reveals misplaced priorities. When we are not grateful for what God has given us we very quickly begin thinking we are owed more. As humans, we pride ourselves on our self-sufficiency. We pride ourselves on what we can accomplish. We pride ourselves in our glory. And when we have this over-inflated view of ourselves we begin to think that we are the source of all that’s good in our lives and we forget that it’s God blessing us beyond what we deserve. 

Ingratitude causes us to become demanding because we think we deserve better. We deserve more. We are not grateful for what we have, we want more. It can also cause us to play the victim. It’s easy to look at our circumstances and think “I don’t deserve this!” when our hearts are not overwhelmed with gratitude for the spiritual blessings God has lavished upon us. 

Ingratitude is dangerous because it stems from a prideful heart that has forgotten, or worse is deliberately ignoring, all the undeserved blessings that God has given us. Ingratitude is spiritual dullness, perhaps even spiritual blindness.

The Safety Of Gratitude

Gratitude on the other hand is happy no matter the circumstances because it recognizes all the undeserved blessings of God. Making the decision to be grateful is how you lead your heart into dependence on God because it looks for and recognizes blessings come from him. Gratitude looks for the ways God is working because it wants to show thanks. Ultimately gratitude is worship.

Gratitude is not just us dutifully saying a quick “thank-you prayer” before you eat each meal. It’s not simply a command (although it it!) from God that we need to make sure we check off the list. It’s a life-giving spiritual prescription for our spiritual health. It increases our happiness in God. It draws our attention away from things that drain us of our hope and it fixes our gaze onto what fuels our hope, courage, and love.

Gratitude is one of the things that helps keep us in the faith. 

Colossians 2:4-7 I am saying this so that no one will deceive you with arguments that sound reasonable. For I may be absent in body, but I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see how well ordered you are and the strength of your faith in Christ.

So then, just as you have received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, being rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, and overflowing with gratitude .

We won’t be deceived by false teaching when our hearts are overflowing with gratitude for Christ has done for us. Gratitude enables us to fight sin. You won’t look for satisfaction in lesser things when you heart is satisfied and grateful for what Christ has given you.

Gratitude Is The Key

Why is some version of “give thanks” repeated so often throughout Scripture? Because gratitude is the key that unlocks the door to the joy of the Lord. And it’s the joy of the Lord that is our strength. When a person is happy in Christ it’s amazing how many other things fall into place in our Christian life. 

So how do we fight to be grateful? How do we battle ingratitude? We will begin to tackle that in part 2.

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The post Battling Ingratitude Part 1 appeared first on Thriving In Exile.

A Creed To Remind The Gathered Church Of Its New Life In Christ

By Nick Minerva • 14 Jul, 2023
When I was pastoring I wanted to read a blessing over the church that would remind all of us of our new life in Christ. So I wrote this new life creed and every week I would read it and remind us of what Christ had done for us. We gather together as believers professing our great need We acknowledge that we have fallen short We confess that we are rebels who have gone our own way Apart from Christ, we stand condemned, guilty, and unable to save ourselves But what we are incapable of doing, God did In his infinite love, God made a way of salvation for all who would believe Jesus willingly laid down his life and received the just punishment we deserve So that could walk in new life So yes, we confess our great need We humbly recognize that apart from Christ we are incapable of any good thing But we also proclaim that because of the finished work of the cross we will never be apart from Christ We are forever secure in the love of the Father We have been sealed by the Holy Spirit All because of the sacrifice of the Son, Jesus Christ. We are no longer in bondage to sin We are no longer facing righteous wrath We have been declared holy by our King And nothing on heaven or earth will change that reality This gathering is a testimony to our redeemed state We pursue holy living to be an authentic demonstration of the love we have for Christ We believe that we have been empowered by grace to meet our every need And we gladly anticipate the complete fulfillment of our adaption and the remaking of this world at the coming of our Lord To Christ be glory forever and ever Amen

A Praying Church: A Book Review

By Nick Minerva • 23 May, 2023
Prayer is one of those topics that always seems to convict me. I have never heard a sermon or read a book on prayer and not been challenged. Even as I am writing this review there is a bit of imposter syndrome because I know I should pray more. In A Praying Church , Paul Miller writes about how to become a people of hope in a discouraging world through prayer. And he does so in a way that was very authentic and accessible. While I was consistently challenged, I was also consistently encouraged. Throughout the book, he takes you on his journey of developing a personal prayer life plus countless stories of ministries that developed communal prayer as a vital component of their life together. One thing that struck home with me throughout these stories was the reality that prayer always grows out of desperation for God. There were several things that I found very helpful in this book. One of them was the connection between a life yielded to the Holy Spirit and a vibrant prayer life. The power to do anything of eternal importance comes from the Holy Spirit and the Spirit moves in response to prayer. Paul shows us a biblical pattern we see throughout the New Testament. Prayer-Spirit-Jesus-power. However, this is not a simple formula to get God to do what you want. Another thing I appreciated about this book is Paul tells us time and again that the Spirit often moves in ways we don’t expect and that almost always includes difficulties. The Spirit enables us to look more like Jesus and that means joining him in the fellowship of his suffering. So this is not a “how to turn God into your personal genie” scheme, like many books on prayer. God often answers in ways we don’t expect and in places we don’t anticipate. This book is also full of practical help. I’ve already mentioned the stories he tells, but Paul also offers several helpful charts, strategies, and ideas to help put into place what he writes about (and lives by.) At the end of each chapter, he has a section called “A Word To Pastors” with a few paragraphs of wisdom to help them become a person of prayer and then lead their congregation to become a church of prayer. This book also made me thankful that I am a part of a church that has sought to grow in corporate prayer over the last few years. This would be a great book for any ministry leader who is burdened with the prayer life of his or her church. But it’s also a great read for any believer seeking to develop their own prayer life. Crossway was kind to send me a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. You can get a copy of it at the affiliate link below.

Non-Toxic Masculinity: A Book Review

By Nick Minerva • 28 Apr, 2023
Let me start this review by saying everyone should read this book. If you've grown up in Evangelicalism, you‘ve no doubt heard of purity culture. For the last several years we have seen the harm that has come as a result of this sub-group of Christianity. In Non-Toxic Masculinity, Zachary Wagner does an excellent job unpacking its teaching and the damage that has come as a result. He explains so well the angst I've been feeling with the movement and how often the Church falls short and winds up doing more damage. But unlike many critiques, this one also points a way forward. We know what toxic male sexuality looks like. We see it in the news and unfortunately, in the Church. But what does healthy male sexuality look like? What does it look like for me? What will it look like for my boys? In my heart, I know what I want it to look like, but so often I struggle to find the right words to express it. Non-Toxic Masculinity paints a healthy picture that is (re)humanizing and ultimately looks like Jesus, who, like all of us, had a sexual body. Zach is also very transparent in this book and God used his transparency to encourage, challenge, and convict me. As you read his story you will no doubt find yourself resonating with him on some level. Every man should read this book for themselves first and foremost. But if you have sons, nephews, grandsons, or young boys in your life, reading it is a must. Non-Toxic Masculinity is a breath of fresh air that will prove to be a tremendous resource for generations. Thank you Zach for writing it and sharing your story to serve us.
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