Luke 17:11-19
Thanksgiving and the Christmas season provide a great opportunity for Christians to draw in a deep breath and express gratitude for all our Savior does for us every day. Even on days when all He seems to do for you is make sure your alarm clock goes off on time. It’s a blessing, right? Lots of people go to bed each night looking forward to the next day but don’t wake up to experience it.
Every day I meet with a lot of people dealing with a lot of things and some of those things are dark and heavy and downright brutal, but you know what? In the minute that we bring it to Jesus although we may not solve every problem in an instant, we can make sure of a few things without a doubt. Personal safety. Food if needed. Shelter if needed. Medical attention if needed. Counseling if needed.
One really great thing about our Jesus is that when we turn to Him, He will not leave us hanging. We may have to wait for Him to bring things into focus, but, true to His own Word, He will never leave us nor forsake us.
In Luke’s Gospel, we get a beautiful picture of just how awesome life can get when we take the time to give Jesus a thank you. Jesus is walking with the apostles toward Jerusalem, on the border of Samaria. Entering a village there, ten lepers, standing at a distance, crying out to Jesus for mercy, for healing.
Now, we all know the deal on leprosy. Back in Jesus’ time it wasn’t quite the death sentence it was say in Moses’ day, but lepers were still social outcasts due to how contagious the sickness was. Jesus looks at these lepers and tells them to start walking and go show themselves to the priests. As they walk along, Luke tells us the men were cleansed of leprosy. One of the ten, seeing he was healed, runs back to Jesus. He falls on his face at Jesus’ feet, thanking Him for what He’s done for him, especially given the fact that this leper was also a Samaritan, a sworn enemy of Jews at the time. Jesus helps the man to his feet and assures him that his faith has made him well. He also wonders for a second where the other nine guys got to…which tells us a little something about how Jesus feels about our giving thanks to Him when He blesses us!
Look, understand this. Jesus didn’t reimpose leprosy on the nine guys who didn’t come back. But look at what gratitude did for the one who did choose to give thanks. He has an up close and personal interaction with his Savior. Giving thanks gave him access to the Lord that the others cheated themselves out of.
This holiday season, take the time to thank Jesus for the many, many blessings He brings to your life. Even if takes you a minute to think of them. Enjoy the intimacy that will create between you and Him. He’ll lift you up and He’ll assure you that your faith in Him will make you well!