The first truth we must face is that God is the Creator and we owe him profound gratitude for all we have. Your own experience in life is powerful evidence for this. Have you ever done something for someone only to have them fail to respond in gratitude? How did that make you feel? (Angry, like they were inconsiderate, etc.) Why do you think our hearts jump so quickly to judgment when someone fails to show gratitude when they have been the recipient of great kindness? The real reason is because we were created in the image of God. Your judicial sentiment which automatically holds me guilty if I ignore you after you’ve just snatched my child from in front of a speeding car is the voice of God in you. We involuntarily hold people accountable for ingratitude because we were created in God’s image. Therefore, you know in your heart that there is a God to whom we owe genuine gratitude.
The second truth we must deal with is connected to the first: we have not felt, nor do we now, nor will we tomorrow feel the depth and consistency of gratitude to God which we owe him as Creator. Our own consciences are sufficient to convict us in this regard. We know that we do not render to God the very gratitude which we demand for ourselves from our neighbor. The judicial sentiment in our heart which holds other people guilty for ingratitude bears vivid witness to the truth that God holds us guilty for our astonishing ingratitude to him. And if we try to suppress this witness in our own hearts, the Bible makes it plain:
the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and wickedness of men who by their wickedness suppress the truth… For though they knew God they did not glorify him as God or give thanks to him but they became futile in their thinking and their senseless minds were darkened.
(Romans 1:18-21)
Is it clear to you that everything you have is a gift from God, and that as a creature you are dependent on him for life and breath and everything? Has your life been filled with the joy of gratitude to God which is proportionate to his infinite kindness to you?
Built on these first two great truths is the third: we must face the truth that God’s wrath abides upon us even this moment if we are outside of Christ, and it does so because of our ingratitude. You know that your own judicial sentiment will not allow indignities against you to be ignored. How much more so is this true of God’s own dignity! God is righteous and that means that he must uphold the worth of his own glory! When we, by our own ingratitude, belittle the worth of God’s glory it demands wrath and justice from God. God alone is infinitely worthy and therefore our defamation of his character in our utter ingratitude brings down upon us righteous eternal destruction. The wages of sin is eternal death (Romans 6:23), and this is the most terrifying truth in the world.
(To be continued...)
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