The Greatness Of Gratitude

Luke 17:11-19

Ten Healed of Leprosy
11 Now on his way to Jerusalem, Jesus traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee. 12 As he was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy met him. They stood at a distance 13 and called out in a loud voice, "Jesus, Master, have pity on us!"

14 When he saw them, he said, "Go, show yourselves to the priests." And as they went, they were cleansed.

15 One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. 16 He threw himself at Jesus' feet and thanked him—and he was a Samaritan.

17 Jesus asked, "Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? 18 Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?" 19 Then he said to him, "Rise and go; your faith has made you well."

Bee's Thoughts:

Gratitude or thankfulness is is not just a thought, it is an action. When one is thankful, one will do something to express that gratitude. In the case of the only leper who thanked Jesus for healing him, his action was an expression of his "faith" (v19) in Jesus' total healing of his sickness. Jesus said that his "faith" has healed him. I wonder what will happen to the other 9 lepers... perhaps their leprosy might come back to them again?

That's why the bible says "in everything give thanks".... not only in some of the things. As I pondered over what I might give thanks for, some thoughts came to mind...

1. Thank God for setting me free from my distress in 2005 and give me something more meaningful in 2006.

2. Thank God for giving me a new job and a changed attitude... the ability to work well with my new bosses, colleagues, children, parents, and the vendors.

3. Thank God for removing the pain from my tooth, a speedy recovery and an early appointment for the new tooth crown.

4. Thank God for helping me keep my daily devotion time.

5. Last but not least, I want to thank Tommy for being my devotion partner, who is running this spiritual race with me. I also want to thank him for asking me to stay on this blog when I wanted to blog alone elsewhere, for letting me know that I have made a difference in his life and that he has been encouraged. This knowledge has encouraged me too.