“Therefore wait for me,” declares the Lord,
“for the day when I rise up to seize the prey.
For my decision is to gather nations, to assemble kingdoms,
to pour out upon them my indignation, all my burning anger;
for in the fire of my jealousy all the earth shall be consumed.
“For at that time I will change the speech of the peoples
to a pure speech, that all of them may call
upon the name of the Lord and serve him with one accord.
From beyond the rivers of Cush my worshipers,
the daughter of my dispersed ones, shall bring my offering. - Zephaniah 3:8-10 (ESV)

For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. - Romans 1:21 (ESV)

Ingratitude can be sad and hurtful. When you do something for someone and it is never acknowledged, it can be so hard. It fractures friendships. When people are ungrateful, it can sometimes seem that they act like they deserve what they have received. It seems to be a lack of character. But have you considered it isn’t just a flaw but actually a sin?

Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion!
Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem!
Behold, your king is coming to you;
righteous and having salvation is he,
humble and mounted on a donkey,
on a colt, the foal of a donkey. - Zechariah 9:9 (ESV)
 
Eugene Petersen wrote a book entitled ‘A Long Obedience in the Same Direction’ that I keep meaning to read. I love the title. It’s an ode to the need for ongoing, regular, plodding faithfulness in a lifetime of following Christ. Faithfulness isn’t flashy; it usually doesn’t result in any headlines. But it is desperately needed – especially in a world that seems to revolve around the immediate and instant.

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. . . So Jesus also suffered outside the gate in order to sanctify the people through his own blood. Therefore let us go to him outside the camp and bear the reproach he endured. For here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come. Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name. - Hebrews 13:8-15 (ESV)
 
American evangelicalism has recently had a leadership crisis. At the highest levels, there have been multiple revelations of abuse and misconduct. The stories of hidden sins and the chaos they have produced in their wake have rippled throughout the church. At the lower levels, the strain of regular ministry and the added layer of complexity through the pandemic have caused pastors to leave the ministry at an increasing rate. All of this may cause us to question how we should relate to leaders.

“Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the LORD comes. And he will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the land with a decree of utter destruction." - Malachi 4:5-6 (ESV)

Revival is an amazing thing.
 
What would it look like for a generation to have their hearts turned to Christ? To see a large group of people start following God would be incredible. But there is a problem with revival. Each generation must turn to Christ on their own. Several cycles of revival have been followed by the next generation turning away from their parents’ faith.

Let brotherly love continue. Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares. - Hebrews 13:1-2 (ESV)

How would you describe a Christian? What are their defining characteristics? How would people outside the faith identify them?
 
You might say a Christian is defined by what they believe. You might think that Christians are set apart because of their moral imperatives. Others might describe Christians by how they live in the world or how they vote. Still others define Christians by the person they follow and try to model. All of these have a place. And all of them might shape the picture of Christians in a particular time and place.