“Gimme” or Grateful?

John 6 The “Gimme” Generation 

Today we are bombarded with trinkets, gifts, and so on and in fact so much that we have become the “gimme” generation, and this is not new. In John 4, Jesus meets a Samaritan woman and dialogs with her about living water. She says, “Sir, give me this water so that I will not be thirsty or have to come here to draw water.” [Jn 4:15] Now Jesus feeds the 5000, and soon after, they come to him and say, give me the manna that does not quit just like the manna our forefathers had in the wilderness. Jesus reminded them: “I tell you the solemn truth; you are looking for me not because you saw miraculous signs, but because you ate all the loaves of bread you wanted.” [Jn 6:26] Translation: you want something free, and you are not grateful for what you have been given.

In both cases, each wanted something for nothing, and so Jesus tells them about work. “So then they said to him, “What must we do to accomplish the deeds God requires?” Jesus replied, “This is the deed God requires—to believe in the one whom he sent.” [Jn 6:28-29] Paul reminded the Corinthians, which is a reminder to us as well: “These things happened as examples for us so that we will not crave evil things as they did.” [1Cor 10:6]

Challenge: Are we a “gimme” person, or are we a people who are grateful for what we have received?