Have You Said ‘Thank You’?

Text:
Luke 17:11-19

Memory Verse:
“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?” (Luke 17:17&18, NLT).

How often do you say, ‘thank you’? Ten lepers got healed by God’s mercy, but only one went back to say, ‘thank you’. Can you imagine why the other nine went away without saying so? They probably
took the miracle for granted. Are we not all guilty? Like them, we sleep and wake up daily. We breathe in and out effortlessly. We have roofs over our heads and move around safely and we think it is normal to do so. A trip to the hospital or roadside at night will show us how privileged we are.
The leper that went back to say, ‘thank you’ was a foreigner, a Samaritan, who appreciated the grace that he had enjoyed. As a leper, by law, he would not have been able to live with his family. He appreciated the grace to go back into civilisation. He appreciated that his shame and reproach had been removed. Whereas, before he had to announce his presence by ringing a bell, now he
would not have to.

Even so you have also received freedom from sin (spiritual leprosy) freely because Jesus died. This is another reason to be grateful. Jesus has saved you from the reckless life of a drunkard or fornicator whose eyes are blinded by the devil and cannot understand that what they regard as enjoyment is actually self-destruction (Psalm 103). For these reasons and many more, you should give thanks to God regularly. Remember that the grateful leper attracted and received more blessings from God through his show of gratitude. You too can do so.

Prayer Points:
1. Thank You, God, for the sunshine, rain, and deliverance from this world of sin and shame.
2. Father, thank You for the gift of salvation and the Holy Spirit.