…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?” (Luke 17:16–17 NIV)
This passage caught my eye this past week. Ten leprous men believed Jesus could heal. They acted on His instructions, turned and went to show themselves to the priest. Immediate obedience — they did not carry a shadow of doubt regarding Jesus’ ability. On their way something happened. They traveled an almost immeasurably short distance. God cleansed their bodies, and as a result, transformed their lives. After seeing the priest, they would return to full integration with their communities. Only one returned to thank The Priest, Jesus. The rest took for granted the radical transformation experienced.
Jesus didn’t even wince at healing the 10. He graciously granted their wish and from my perspective strongly desired their wholeness no matter what their response. He desires the same for you and me — and all those around us. Gratitude to God, His presence and gifts to me at times overwhelms and like the one who returned, I want to throw myself at His feet in order to express thanks. As strange as it seems, my gratitude includes some of the most horrific times in my life because of the gifts given through the pain. Even now God’s goodness overwhelms. Take a moment to reflect and then thank God for all His gifts, including the gift of Himself to us.
God sees thanksgiving as opening your eyes to His real care for you!
For Reflection:
“Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with an attitude of thanksgiving” (Colossians 4:2 NAS95)
- How has God prompted you to gratefulness in recent days? For what gifts did you express your gratitude to God?
- When you have practiced gratitude to God in your life, what did you experience? In what ways did your perception of His activity broaden?
