Cultivating Thankfulness
November doesn't have the monopoly on "thankfulness." Cultivating a spirit of thankfulness is not only a good idea around the table at Turkey Day, but it is also one of the Lord's commandment to live a life of thankfulness during whatever season we find ourselves. No matter our circumstances, God calls us in both the Old and New Testament to praise him and thank him for his provision.
The Gospel of Luke, Chapter 17 tells us about Jesus healing many men afflicted with leprosy:
Now on his way to Jerusalem, Jesus traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee. As he was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy met him. They stood at a distance and called out in a loud voice, “Jesus, Master, have pity on us!” When he saw them, he said, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were cleansed. One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. 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? Has no one returned to give praise to God except this foreigner?” Then he said to him, “Rise and go; your faith has made you well.”
It is my sincere hope that we are like this man who took the time to return to his healer and offer up his thanks. Sometimes, we take our laundry list of to-do's or our honey-do list to God in prayer, forgetting that he has already answered so many of our needs and desires. It is important to recognize our salvation first and foremost when we come to Him. This man was one of ten who experienced the blessing of healing--an outright miracle--but he is the only one whose faith compels him to return to the feet of Jesus. How much are we like the others who never stopped to thank our Savior?
Psalm 86:12-13 reads, "I will praise you, Lord my God, with all my heart; I will glorify your name forever. For great is your love toward me; you have delivered me from the depths, from the realm of the dead."
Are you thanking God for the little stuff, the big stuff, and everything in between?
Now on his way to Jerusalem, Jesus traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee. As he was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy met him. They stood at a distance and called out in a loud voice, “Jesus, Master, have pity on us!” When he saw them, he said, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were cleansed. One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. 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? Has no one returned to give praise to God except this foreigner?” Then he said to him, “Rise and go; your faith has made you well.”
It is my sincere hope that we are like this man who took the time to return to his healer and offer up his thanks. Sometimes, we take our laundry list of to-do's or our honey-do list to God in prayer, forgetting that he has already answered so many of our needs and desires. It is important to recognize our salvation first and foremost when we come to Him. This man was one of ten who experienced the blessing of healing--an outright miracle--but he is the only one whose faith compels him to return to the feet of Jesus. How much are we like the others who never stopped to thank our Savior?
Psalm 86:12-13 reads, "I will praise you, Lord my God, with all my heart; I will glorify your name forever. For great is your love toward me; you have delivered me from the depths, from the realm of the dead."
Are you thanking God for the little stuff, the big stuff, and everything in between?
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