Thank Him
Ten men with leprosy encountered Jesus while on his way to Jerusalem. Because the law forbade lepers from being around anybody but another leper, they hollered from a distance…” Jesus, Master, have pity on us !” When he saw them, he said,” Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were cleansed. One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him—and he was a Samaritan. Jesus asked,” Were not all ten cleansed ? Where are the other nine ? Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner ?” Then he said to him,” Rise and go; your faith has made you well” ( Luke 17:11-19 ). We’re not told, but i picture the “afterwards” … life after the healings … how it “changes” a person, or not. Because Jesus made it a point that we hear and see this one man out of ten come back, after he sees he’s cleansed from this terminal and terrible disease, i believe the other nine may’ve been like many of us … they enjoyed the benefit of the healing ( the cleansing ) of their physical sores and infections…the ostracism that came with this disease…but they left before the “spiritual healing” could be administered. In other words, they enjoyed part of the meal, belched, and left satisfied with what they received. They didn’t say,”Enjoyed it”…”Compliments to the Cook”…or “Thank you” to the host. They also didn’t get in on the fine dessert afterwards. Too often, we skip on our merry way after a blessing from God and we don’t even have the respect and decency to say “Thank you, Lord”. I know what Ida done if i was Jesus…them other nine boys wouldn’t’ve made it to the priests before their leprosy returned ! Just sayin. Yall best be glad i ain’t God. If we haven’t already learned this lesson, why not start now?! Pray faithfully that God will grant you safe travels to and from wherever you go each day. And when you get there, thank him for letting you. You got a bad cough or runny nose, ask God to heal you. And when the dozen Kleenexes wind down to one or two, thank him. When that grandbaby stops screaming every two hours, thank him. When you open the frig and can’t find the jelly for all the leftovers, thank him that you’re well-stocked. Ask for that deer that’s been leaving tracks around your stand…and when he sends it by and helps you make the shot, thank him for providing you some more sausage…and even if you don’t see anything, thank him for lettin you enjoy his creation … so many others would love to be in your place. An ungrateful person is probably the saddest excuse for a human as there is ! Let’s start, if we ain’t already, thanking God for all the luxuries we enjoy each day. Ask him to make you aware of em…and ask him to grant you a grateful heart. God doesn’t “give” or “bless” because he HAS to … he does it because he’s a Good Father…because he loves us and wants us to love him back. He’s got the authority and power to move mountains … but he’s also got the authority and power to change a heart of stone into one that’s geared for His pleasure. When “that person” holds that door for you…when someone pays for your coffee…when that young man offers to take your buggy back to the store…when someone yields to let you come over… be thankful…tell em or just give em that grateful wave and mouth “thank you” … and thank God for that person . We can learn alot from this one ol boy that turned around and went back to fall at Jesus’ feet and glorify God with thanksgiving. Let’s not be like the other nine and miss out on the “coup de gras” ( a stroke of mercy ; an act of grace ) that God has in store for us.