Weekly Message
TAKE TIME TO SAY THANKS!
And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God. And fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks; and he was a Samaritan. (Luke 17:15, 16)
The verses above are taken from a passage that is pretty clear to understand. The great majority of Lepers were ungrateful. Out of 10, only 1 went back and thanked God for healing him. The other 9 kept going. Unfortunately, there are still a lot of people today who are unappreciative of not only what God does for them, but what other people do for them as well. Are you one of the nine, or are you the one that thanks God?
Originally the 10 lepers stood far off because they were not allowed to be near the general population. In those days, Jews had no dealings with Samaritans. Obviously, their misfortune had brought them together in the common tragedy of leprosy. They cried out for mercy in their anguish. Jesus heard them and instructed them to show themselves to the priests. They were healed as they went. One of them was so grateful, that he fell down on his face, and thanked God in a loud voice, glorifying God.
First of all, like the lepers, we call on God in times of trouble. But when God delivers us, many of us never say thank you.
Secondly, God notices who thanks Him and who does not. He asked the question, were there not 10 who were cleansed? People who are insensitive do not escape the watchful eye of Jesus Christ. If you never tell God thank you, do you really believe that He is pleased?
Finally, it was the Samaritan who came back to thank God. It was not God's people. Those of us who have received so much have a moral obligation to take time and give thanks for God's blessings. I hope that you have a Happy Thanksgiving. But more than that, I hope you have it for the right reason!
