True faith in Jesus produces a thank full heart.
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 the 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."
Ten were cleansed from their disease, only one returned with a heart full of thanksgiving. Many people might call out to Jesus to be healed, but who will return to give Him thanks? Jesus told the Samaritan leper that his faith had made him whole. All ten had been cleansed, but only one had been made whole. Only those who come back to Jesus and thank Him for what He has accomplished, are made whole. Faith in Jesus produces a thank full heart. Do you have a thankful heart? Have you been made whole?
Having your physical needs met does not make you whole. You are made whole when you come to the one who can heal your body and your soul.
All ten were cleansed but only one was made well. The implication being that Jesus is more interested in healing the soul.
Jesus’ healing goes far beyond our physical illnesses.
Jesus’ healings go far beyond our present day struggles.
Jesus is interested in our hearts. And it is only through faith in Him that our hearts are made whole, where we become born again; we become new creatures in Christ. True faith in Jesus is always expressed in thanksgiving. Those two cannot be separated. It is only those who come back to Jesus and thank Him for what he has accomplished, it is only those who are made well, made whole.
Not lip service but knowing in your heart through the Holy Spirit what God in Jesus has done for you. We were dead in sin, we were lifeless. Jesus resurrected to give us what we had lost in Adam; that being the Life of God. This truth should make us say ‘thank you’ from the depths of our hearts.
As we celebrate Thanksgiving, if you have accepted the gospel for your salvation, then you know you have been taken from death to Life through that one sacrifice. You now have Eternal life; meaning you will never die again. You have been made whole again. You stand Holy in the sight of God, in Christ Jesus.
The only thing that can kill you, sin, has been taken away Eternally by Jesus Christ. The knowledge of this truth should cause us, like the Samaritan to fall down at the feet of Jesus and thank Him. And like the Samaritan He says to us; “Arise, go your way. Your faith has made you well.”
HAPPY THANKSGIVING.
Very touching analogy. It is sad that only one Leper recognizes and accepts the power of God and Christ as our spiritual leader. It is even more sad that today, many are still to recognize and acknowledge the price He paid for our sins.If we did not know already, we should emulate the example of this Leper and like him be made whole through our faith in Christ.
ReplyDeleteA very befitting passage for this period. I thank God for giving me eternal life through His own death, and I thank God for what you do in bringing the unbelievers to Him, one at a time. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving.
Very well said. We continue to make ourselves available for Him to do His work in and through us.
ReplyDeleteFrom my experiences in life I have come to accept that gratitude is a heart issue. The story about the ten lepers demonstrates how Jesus Christ can heal our diseases, problems, or even eradicate sins from our lives, but the responsibility to repent and be grateful is still left to us. Currently, in our culture and society, the same relentless and stiff-necked approach to thankfulness is still being displayed; many people turn to God in times of trials and tribulations, however, once they are cured and in a better position, God is no longer part of their agenda. Rather, the Righteous One becomes “burdensome” and those people become self-absorbed. Human beings tend to be quick to act and react, but slow to respond in the form of godly sorrow which leads to gratitude and repentance. That’s why Jesus Christ said “blessed are the poor in spirit.”
ReplyDeleteIn conclusion, there will always be individuals that the Lord our God has blessed with health, longevity, prosperity, and great physical/spiritual support but their hearts will never be content because gratitude is not embedded in their spirits. On the other token, you will always have people who have been through severe challenges and can barely make it through each day. Although the latter situation is worse, these folks seem to have courage, hope, and unlimited gratitude; they are not sorry about their situation -- they are empowered to praise and worship God in truth and spirit. The right heart will always overcome and find rest at the Savior’s feet despite the dilemma.
Great insights as always, Edwin. Thanks
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