"Then said Jesus, "Were not ten cleansed? Where are the nine? Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?" Where's the gratitude? Jesus asks. God does not demand gratitude but from this excerpt we can see that it pleases Him.
What happened to the nine? Did it ever occur to them to offer thanks to God for their healing? Do we offer thanks to God for all He does for us? For His love, mercy, forgiveness? For the miracle of our salvation and eternal life?
The Samaritan realized that Jesus was more than a prophet and he fell on his face in worship; an act reserved for God. The Jews in general were more than happy to take the healings and food Jesus provided but they would not believe he was the promised Messiah. The 9 had faith that Jesus could heal them. Healing of their bodies was all they were interested in. The Samaritan may or may not have realized that Jesus was the Messiah but it was his faith in Jesus as God that made him well, not only in body, but more importantly it made his soul well. This story is also a lesson on the need for gratitude as an aspect of faith.
Gratitude should be an integral part of our worship of God and also a response to those who have been a positive influence in our lives. They're not sitting by the phone or standing at the mailbox waiting or expecting to hear from you but they will appreciate a simple, "thank you." If you show gratitude you will be rewarded in spirit.
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Many Christians are missing out on blessings. How so? you ask. If you have confessed Christ as your Savior, do you understand you are a child of God and a joint heir with Jesus? As such we are entitled to everything Jesus is heir to. We are not claiming our inheritance in all its fullness. We have subsisted on cheese and crackers when there is a sumptuous feast of spiritual benefits spread before us. "Eye has not seen nor ear heard; neither has it entered into the heart of man the things God has prepared for those who love Him."
Jesus invites us to enter into the heart of God and experience the joy He spoke of so often.
Mark Twain said, "Everybody talks about the weather but nobody does anything about it."
Christians do a lot of talking about spiritual matters but but don't always follow it with action.
Rivers of life-changing spiritual energy flow from the Throne of God. But if we don't jump in the river, it will flow right by us leaving us to wonder why some of our Christian brothers and sisters seem to have an indefinable "something." (More in next week's blog)
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Remember "Cash for Clunkers?"
The publishers of Kelly's Blue Book, who know more about car values than the government does, stated that the real cost to the taxpayers for each new car purchased under the Clunkers program was not $4500 as claimed. Kelly's simply divided the number of cars purchased into the total amount spent on the program and came up with-----$24,000 for each car.
Are those in charge of security for our country, beginning with President Obama, seriously concerned for our safety or does political correctness still reign over common sense?
Terrorists have been released from Gitmo with only a stern warning that they must not return to their former bad habits. They are sent back to the Middle East and guess what? They fail to see the error of their ways and take up where they left off. What's the term for this method of keeping our country safe? Idiocy?
If you were to catch a fox who has been threatening your chickens would you pen him up for a while, then turn him loose with a copy of Emily Post's book of manners tied to his tail? Of course not. Foxes do not give up their taste for chicken and terrorists do not give up their taste for murder.
Recently, an Israeli security official testified before a congressional committee and offered to give suggestions on how to improve airport security in the U.S. 'Thanks but no thanks' was the apparent response he got in a letter from security officials. "They didn't tell me to go to hell," he said. "They were polite."
The foul-ups in the case of the Underwear Terrorist is a clear example of government bureaucracy in which the left hand does not know what the right hand is doing. It's also an indication that congress should have listened to the Israeli security expert.
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I wear a ring with the words, "Trust God" on it. I wear it to honor God. I found out long ago that trusting God takes care of most fear and worry.
great thoughts Floyd. i was reading a commentary on that Samaritan leper once and in a few translations, Jesus says, "go, your faith has made you whole" the commentator said that the language infers that he "regrew" his appendages that had fallen off. the other nine did not receive that blessing.
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