INGRATITUDE

"For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened." - Romans 1:21

The Italian historian and statesman Francesco Guicciardini is best known for his book “History of Italy” which covers the period from 1492 to 1532. He was a friend and critic of Niccolò Machiavelli, he is considered one of the major political writers of the Italian Renaissance. In 1516 he was appointed governor of the papal state Modena and in 1517 also of the state of Reggio. Until 1534 Guicciardini served the papacy almost continuously.

As governor, he had to face internal disorders as well as external dangers, Guicciardini showed outstanding administrative gifts. His severe and sometimes ruthless measures were effective in restoring order but also caused him unpopularity. 

Guicciardini wrote the following about ingratitude: “Even though many people prove to be ungrateful, do not let that stop you from benefiting others-for not only is beneficence in itself a noble and almost divine quality, it may also happen that while you practice it, you will encounter someone so grateful that he will make up for all the others' ingratitude.”

We need to be grateful for all that the Lord has given us. Today in prayer, confess any sin of ingratitude and be thankful to the Lord.

“Ingratitude is always a kind of weakness. I have never seen that clever men have been ungrateful.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

God's Word: "People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy" - 2 Timothy 3:2