Wednesday, November 23, 2011
Luke 17:11-19 Now it happened as He went to Jerusalem that He passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee. Then as He entered a certain village, there met Him ten men who were lepers, who stood afar off. And they lifted up their voices and said, "Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!" So when He saw them, He said to them, "Go, show yourselves to the priests." And so it was that as they went, they were cleansed. And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, returned, and with a loud voice glorified God, and fell down on his face at His feet, giving Him thanks. And he was a Samaritan. So Jesus answered and said, "Were there not ten cleansed? But where are the nine? "Were there not any found who returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?" And He said to him, "Arise, go your way. Your faith has made you well."
NO THANKS? LEARN FROM THESE LEPERS
To compare us to these lepers is really quite appropriate: Though we have not been outcast from society or afflicted with such a disease, we have no right to approach God or expect His mercy anymore than these men could expect it of Jesus. Without the healing power of Christ to mend our souls -- even more than that to make our souls alive to God -- we would rot forever. For this reason alone, every day that you wake up and have your relationship with God is a reason to give thanks. Your new spiritual life is even more impressive than the change that took place with those lepers who had their health restored.
Despite that big turn of events in their lives only one out of ten of those lepers returned to give glory to God. In our lives that ten percent figure may even be stretching it a bit in the comparing of how much we thank God with how much we ask of Him. How often do we plead and plead with God, but either become frustrated in not getting what we want, or quickly forget about Him when we receive that for which we asked? Being thankful ten percent of the time would be an upgrade for most of us.
When the one returned to glorify God Jesus told him, "Your faith has made you well." The faith of the one who returned trusted not only in God for the healing, but regarded Him as the source of the blessing.
You also have been healed through faith. From the outside you look no different than anybody else, but God has made you different on the inside. He says to you that you are cleansed, you are forgiven. You have no tangible proof of this. Yet, because of this trust we now turn to glorifying God and give Him thanks through thanksliving -- knowing that God has provided us not just with a new lease on life but a new life altogether. Thank you, Lord.
