Perhaps you’re familiar with the record in Luke 17:11-19 where Jesus heals ten leprous men. It’s an astonishing miracle, yet also reveals a common trait of human nature.
As the men carried out Jesus’ command to “GO, show yourselves to the priests,” it says as they went, they were cleansed. And one leper, realizing he was healed, returned to Jesus shouting praises to God, falling at Jesus’ feet, and GIVING HIM THANKS.
The other nine never returned to give thanks for God’s blessings.
How many people today are “crisis Christians”—those who petition God for a miracle when they are in trouble, yet once the goodness of God has been shown and their need is met, go on their way as the nine lepers did, acting as if they owe Him nothing in return.
Many call Him Lord, yet once they get what they need, how many continue to regard Him as Master in daily worship, giving Him praise and thanks even on good days?
In the Scriptures, thanks and praise are inextricably linked together, and offer a powerful means to bring us into the presence of God.
Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name. (Psalm 100:4)
Praise and thanks are also called a sacrifice:
Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name. (Hebrews 13:15)
Thanks and praise to God become a sacrifice as we get out of ourselves and our own self-reliance, and turn our focus to Him. From this vantage point we acknowledge His awesomeness, His power, and His love. We also begin to view life from His perspective.
James 1:17 tells us “every good gift and every perfect gift is from above.”
When the leprous man is healed, or when that nasty paper cut on your thumb heals, when there is food on the table another day, or a friend reaches out when you’re struggling . . .
. . . every good gift points back to God.
This Thanksgiving holiday—and every day—as we remember our many blessings, will we be like the nine who receive the goodness of God and go on their way, or will we be the one who returns, falls at His feet, and GIVES HIM THANKS!
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