TOPIC: BE THE GRATEFUL ONE
Bible Reading: 2 Chronicles 4-6; John 12:20-50
“And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God, [16] and fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan.- Luke 17:15-16
You can cultivate a grateful heart by learning to appreciate the things that God does in your life every day instead of trivializing or making light of them. Luke 17:11-19 is a story of ten lepers who met Jesus and asked Him to have mercy on them. Jesus instructed them to go and show themselves to the high priest. It was an act of faith because the Law of Moses demands that you show yourself to the high priest only ‘after’ you have been healed and not ‘before’ (Leviticus 14:2-31). These ten lepers acted on Jesus’ Word and the Bible says that “as they went, they were cleansed” (Luke 17:14) but only one who was a Samaritan came back to give thanks! He was so expressive about it that he came ‘shouting’ with gratitude.
Gratitude and thanksgiving aren’t determined by the size of our experiences with God or the volume of things that He does in our lives but actually, by the heart that we cultivate. Some people are thankful to God for the same things that you complain about.
These ten lepers were in the same situation and had the same experiences but only one came back and Jesus acknowledged what He came back to do as an act of faith. Jesus said, “ Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine? There are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger. And he said unto him, Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole.” Luke 17:17-19. Thanksgiving is an act of faith that completes whatever process the Word has started in our lives.
So let’s come out from among the ‘nine’ silent and ungrateful people and be the grateful ‘one.’ Openly thank Jesus for what He does in your life because silence is ingratitude.
Prayer: Father, I thank you for the privilege of coming back to give you thanks.
Pastor Alfred Samuel