Ingratitude Is Wicked In The Eyes Of God.
God calls people who are ungrateful, unthankful, complains and mummers, wicked and evil. God had just freed Israel from Egypt and performed mighty miracles, signs and He even destroyed Israel’s enemies without them having to fight, and with all this they were complaining about what they did not have. What an insult to the Almighty God, Jehovah the God of Israel Who brought them out of slavery, gave them riches, silver and gold as they left the land of their captivity and yet they were complaining about what they would eat. This is a strategy of the enemy of God to get the people focused on what they think they want and not be appreciative for the things God has already given.
We are living in a time where people are particularly self-centered, self-focused and self-absorbed to the point they are unable to appreciate what they have. People are constantly looking for the next thing, looking for more and for more of the next thing. We see so much greed in a society that has so much to be thankful for but they are not content with what they have. No matter how much people possess it is never enough, even if they have more than they or their children’s children will ever spend they are not satisfied and envy and desire for more. This need for more has been cultivated by the commercial industry and the drive for more consumes us to the point that we are never satisfied or thankful for what we have.
Numbers 14: 26-28 And the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, 27 “How long shall I bear with this evil congregation who complain against Me? I have heard the complaints which the children of Israel make against Me. 28 Say to them, ‘As I live,’ says the Lord, ‘just as you have spoken in My hearing, so I will do to you: NKJV
We are always wanting more, envying and coveting what others have, is what this culture feeds on. All commercial ads create in us dissatisfaction with what we have and then cultivate a longing, yearning a desire for more or something different. The Bible calls this lust, wanting something that is not ours to the point we will get it at all costs, even at the cost of family, friends or character. This is a strategy of our enemy to have us so focused on what we do not have at the moment to cause us not to appreciate what we do have.
When we complain and grumble about our situation we are complaining and grumbling against God. Sometimes we will start saying things and gripe about our situation and complain about what we do not have and we do not realize this is God’s will for us and we are, in our ignorance, criticizing God. God said He heard the complaints against Him and they have spoken these complaints against Him in His hearing. Sometimes God will give us what we say. It was not the plan He had but your words are stout and hard against Him.
Malachi 3: 13-14a Your words have been harsh against Me,” Says the Lord, “Yet you say, ‘What have we spoken against You?’ 14 You have said, ‘It is useless to serve God; What profit is it that we have kept His ordinance…
Words are powerful and they are the seed of all things that exist. God created this world with the spoken word in the power of the Holy Spirit. We created in His likeness have the same potential, to create things with our words. God gave authority to man to reign over the earth. So our words can work with God or they can be harsh against God’s plan for our lives.
God has given us principles and laws of nature that reveals the spiritual principles of God and how His kingdom operates on the earth. Seedtime and harvest is one of the greatest principles given to us. Our words are seeds and we can plant what we want to harvest in our future with the words we speak. Most people are ignorant of the power they possess with the spoken word. Their enemy would have them to stay ignorant so to keep them saying destructive things about themselves, their family and to keep them from God’s plan for their future.
The culture we are living in helps develop and shape the way we view and value things. This culture is built on commercialism and with specific intent media, cultivates an attitude and atmosphere of discontentment which leads us to not being thankful for the things we have but constantly looking at others and wanting more. Instead of giving thanks to God for all He has given and praising Him for what He has done we are quick to forget the state we were in, as Israel did when they left Egypt, and we too began to complain about God in His ears.
Philippians 2:14 Do all things without complaining and disputing,
Hebrews 13:5-6 Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” 6 So we may boldly say: “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?”
God has given us the remedy to thanklessness, ingratitude, covetousness, for the need of always wanting the biggest, the best and the latest thing and that is to be content with such things we have. Halleluiah! This is a revelation! We can be content, happy with the lot we have, the place God has given us reign. Just as Joseph started out as a slave he changed his circumstances by not allowing bitterness and ingratitude toward God to have a place in his life. It is in this attitude of thanksgiving that allows us to be content and we are able to see the blessing of God and know He is with us and He will never leave us.
Integrity- People of God 