Thanking God

“As Jesus continued on toward Jerusalem, he reached the border between Galilee and Samaria. As he entered a village there, ten men with leprosy stood at a distance, crying out, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!”He looked at them and said, “Go show yourselves to the priests.”And as they went, they were cleansed of their leprosy. One of them, when he saw that he was healed, came back to Jesus, shouting, “Praise God!” He fell to the ground at Jesus’ feet, thanking him for what he had done. This man was a Samaritan. Jesus asked, “Didn’t I heal ten men? Where are the other nine? Has no one returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?” And Jesus said to the man, “Stand up and go. Your faith has healed you.” –  Luke 17:11-19

When you look at people and events in life, you see either grumbling or gratitude. One day, ten lepers came to Jesus asking to be healed. You can’t blame them. I expect they spent much time and effort grumbling because leprosy was the most dreaded disease in that day. Lepers were total outcasts from society.

Jesus heard their request and healed all ten of them. When only one leper came back and thanked Jesus, He asked if there were not more who had been healed. Only one of these ten suffering men returned to thank Jesus. He did so with shouting and praising. He fell to the ground at Jesus’ feet, thanking Him boldly. This man was a Samaritan, a member of the class the Jews despised. The other nine didn’t understand gratitude. The one leper was healed of far more than leprosy – he received the gift of gratitude. (Luke 17:11-19) Pause for a second and let that soak in: the thing about which you are grumbling is probably the very thing that someone else is praying to receive.  

When you get up in the morning, you have one of two choices – you can say, “Good morning, Lord.” Or you can say, “Good lord, it’s morning.” How you start the morning often determines how the day will go. Start out without gratitude, and you’ll most likely end up without gratitude during the day. We are all busy. This fast-paced 21st-century living doesn’t make life easy. One of the most profound ways to express your gratitude to God is by serving others in His name. In 1 Peter 4:10, you are directed; “God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another” Thus, by serving others you are serving God and showing your gratitude for His work in your life.

 One of the truest ways to demonstrate your appreciation to God is to simply pray and tell Him. God loves to hear from you. He often wonders why you never call or write. Prayer is the simplest and surest way to convey appreciation to God. A sincere simple prayer, given from the heart and expressing your thanks for the wonderful life you’ve been given, will touch God deeply. There are no hard and fast rules about praying. Come to God just as you are. Even if you’ve never prayed before, it’s never too late to start.

Every day is a testimony to God’s work in your life. Take time every day to express your gratitude for that life and it will promote a sense of joy in everything you do.

Discussion Questions:

1. Is showing gratitude to God an obligation and a discipline?  
2. What can we do this week to be more grateful servants of Jesus Christ?