Gratitude will Un-Shackle You
Gratitude will Un-Shackle You
We are familiar with the catch phrase, “Your attitude will determine your altitude”. There is some truth to that. There is even a better catch phrase, “Your attitude of gratitude will determine your wholeness, wellness and total healing”. Jesus wants us to learn the power of gratitude in making us whole and setting us free from the shackles of an un-ending pursuit of more stuff instead of being satisfied with God’s provision at the present. What is the point receiving a great miracle when you can’t acknowledge and thank the maker/giver? You can still feel empty inside even upon receiving the greatest miracle of healing or whatever else you prayed for. In addition, Jesus wants to teach us how to exercising our faith through simple obedience and the need for gratitude as an aspect of faith.
Luke 17: 11-19
11Now on his way to Jerusalem, Jesus traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee. 12As he was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy[a]met him. They stood at a distance 13and called out in a loud voice, "Jesus, Master, have pity on us!" 14When he saw them, he said, "Go, show yourselves to the priests." And as they went, they were cleansed.
15One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. 16He threw himself at Jesus' feet and thanked him—and he was a Samaritan. 17Jesus asked, "Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? 18Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?" 19Then he said to him, "Rise and go; your faith has made you well."
Here are my observations from the passage in addition to the ones you may have.
1. In Luke 17:5, “the apostles said to the Lord, increase our faith!” Jesus replied basically saying, “I can’t increase what is not there”. Increase implies there is a residue to start from. Jesus said to his disciples, “If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, be uprooted and be planted in the sea, and it will obey you.” Now with this background, here comes the ten lepers and Jesus is demonstrating and answering his disciples in action.
2. You need just a tinny faith. Do you believe what God has said to you? Then do it. May be it is too simple like in the case of the lepers. “Go show yourselves to the priests”. Faith is shown through obedience. Many of us are waiting on God while actually God is waiting on us to get up and do simple things He has told us. Are you waiting for someone to lay hands on you (and there is a place for that)? Notice that Jesus did not touch the lepers in this instance. The lepers obeyed his voice.
3. I am learning this truth on simple obedience as we speak and God has done great things for me recently that I don’t have space to elaborate. For instance, it was as simple as obeying God’s voice that told me “Take a drive with my son Jonathan” with no where in mind we were going and then turn to this street and that street. As I did, I ended up with a solid dinning table set for $5 from a yard sale. What you don’t know is that the previous night, Jonathan had broken our glass top dinning table that gave him a deep cut that required stitches. In addition, the people at the yard sale gave Jonathan a solid oak frame twin bed for free. To top it, they delivered all the furniture in their truck to our house free of charge. Now, this is God in action. To God be the glory. Remember, “As they (the lepers) went, they were cleansed.” Will you obey the voice of God today? Stop sitting and stop praying the same prayers. Get up and obey the small voice of God you have heard. I know it is not always that clear and simple and I struggle with that too.
4. Ten lepers! What are they doing hanging out together? Misery loves company but also they did not have the freedom to mingle with non lepers since they were restricted by the society. Our problems can sometimes quarantine and put us in a restricted class. We must run toward Jesus and say, “Jesus, Master, have pity on us”. We must run to Jesus other wise we will have the leper mentality of being alone to ourselves and seeing only impossibilities. Don’t let your problem isolate you rather isolate your problem and run to Jesus for help.
5. “One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice.” Just one out of ten? This is an indication of the percentage that truly acknowledge what God does for them. It is a warning to us not to be like the ungrateful 90%. Returning to give thanks to God is for our benefit not so much to impress God and/or give him something he lacks. God is not there feeling sorry for himself because you did not return to give him thanks. Neither should we be feeling sorry for ourselves just because someone did not come back to thank us for a good we did. Giving thanks to God is for you and I to fully exercise our faith and receive the true riches from God – our salvation and peace that surpasses any comprehension (see Philippians 4:4-7, one of my favorites and life motto).
6. Leprosy represents outward uncleanness. It is obvious to the eyes and that is why people stay away from lepers and it is contagious too. The ten were cleansed from the outward leprosy but only one was healed and made whole from the inner leprosy that all of us have. Jesus told the one “Rise and go; your faith has made you well.” You can still look good and clean outside while dying and decaying inside. Jesus wants wholeness for us and wants to give us new life and take away our sins. Do not stop at the outward cleansing. A lot of companies a making money on us today and we are spending so much on outward appearance. Only Jesus can take away the real emptiness that is within. Will you ask him to make you well and whole today?
Expression of gratitude and thanks giving to God is the boldest declaration in your life that God is in control of all aspects of your life. Soon on Thursday November 27(which is also my birthday and why I am crazy about thanksgiving), American will celebrate Thanksgiving Day. I believe this is one of the most important holidays in America. Let’s us not wait just for that day but daily giving thanks to our God and Father. Your gratitude to God and others will make you whole and allow you enjoy the state of where you are now. Moving to the next “State” will not make you happy and whole but gratitude will, so enjoy and give thanks to God now. Thank you Lord for everything! Amen.
We are familiar with the catch phrase, “Your attitude will determine your altitude”. There is some truth to that. There is even a better catch phrase, “Your attitude of gratitude will determine your wholeness, wellness and total healing”. Jesus wants us to learn the power of gratitude in making us whole and setting us free from the shackles of an un-ending pursuit of more stuff instead of being satisfied with God’s provision at the present. What is the point receiving a great miracle when you can’t acknowledge and thank the maker/giver? You can still feel empty inside even upon receiving the greatest miracle of healing or whatever else you prayed for. In addition, Jesus wants to teach us how to exercising our faith through simple obedience and the need for gratitude as an aspect of faith.
Luke 17: 11-19
11Now on his way to Jerusalem, Jesus traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee. 12As he was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy[a]met him. They stood at a distance 13and called out in a loud voice, "Jesus, Master, have pity on us!" 14When he saw them, he said, "Go, show yourselves to the priests." And as they went, they were cleansed.
15One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. 16He threw himself at Jesus' feet and thanked him—and he was a Samaritan. 17Jesus asked, "Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? 18Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?" 19Then he said to him, "Rise and go; your faith has made you well."
Here are my observations from the passage in addition to the ones you may have.
1. In Luke 17:5, “the apostles said to the Lord, increase our faith!” Jesus replied basically saying, “I can’t increase what is not there”. Increase implies there is a residue to start from. Jesus said to his disciples, “If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, be uprooted and be planted in the sea, and it will obey you.” Now with this background, here comes the ten lepers and Jesus is demonstrating and answering his disciples in action.
2. You need just a tinny faith. Do you believe what God has said to you? Then do it. May be it is too simple like in the case of the lepers. “Go show yourselves to the priests”. Faith is shown through obedience. Many of us are waiting on God while actually God is waiting on us to get up and do simple things He has told us. Are you waiting for someone to lay hands on you (and there is a place for that)? Notice that Jesus did not touch the lepers in this instance. The lepers obeyed his voice.
3. I am learning this truth on simple obedience as we speak and God has done great things for me recently that I don’t have space to elaborate. For instance, it was as simple as obeying God’s voice that told me “Take a drive with my son Jonathan” with no where in mind we were going and then turn to this street and that street. As I did, I ended up with a solid dinning table set for $5 from a yard sale. What you don’t know is that the previous night, Jonathan had broken our glass top dinning table that gave him a deep cut that required stitches. In addition, the people at the yard sale gave Jonathan a solid oak frame twin bed for free. To top it, they delivered all the furniture in their truck to our house free of charge. Now, this is God in action. To God be the glory. Remember, “As they (the lepers) went, they were cleansed.” Will you obey the voice of God today? Stop sitting and stop praying the same prayers. Get up and obey the small voice of God you have heard. I know it is not always that clear and simple and I struggle with that too.
4. Ten lepers! What are they doing hanging out together? Misery loves company but also they did not have the freedom to mingle with non lepers since they were restricted by the society. Our problems can sometimes quarantine and put us in a restricted class. We must run toward Jesus and say, “Jesus, Master, have pity on us”. We must run to Jesus other wise we will have the leper mentality of being alone to ourselves and seeing only impossibilities. Don’t let your problem isolate you rather isolate your problem and run to Jesus for help.
5. “One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice.” Just one out of ten? This is an indication of the percentage that truly acknowledge what God does for them. It is a warning to us not to be like the ungrateful 90%. Returning to give thanks to God is for our benefit not so much to impress God and/or give him something he lacks. God is not there feeling sorry for himself because you did not return to give him thanks. Neither should we be feeling sorry for ourselves just because someone did not come back to thank us for a good we did. Giving thanks to God is for you and I to fully exercise our faith and receive the true riches from God – our salvation and peace that surpasses any comprehension (see Philippians 4:4-7, one of my favorites and life motto).
6. Leprosy represents outward uncleanness. It is obvious to the eyes and that is why people stay away from lepers and it is contagious too. The ten were cleansed from the outward leprosy but only one was healed and made whole from the inner leprosy that all of us have. Jesus told the one “Rise and go; your faith has made you well.” You can still look good and clean outside while dying and decaying inside. Jesus wants wholeness for us and wants to give us new life and take away our sins. Do not stop at the outward cleansing. A lot of companies a making money on us today and we are spending so much on outward appearance. Only Jesus can take away the real emptiness that is within. Will you ask him to make you well and whole today?
Expression of gratitude and thanks giving to God is the boldest declaration in your life that God is in control of all aspects of your life. Soon on Thursday November 27(which is also my birthday and why I am crazy about thanksgiving), American will celebrate Thanksgiving Day. I believe this is one of the most important holidays in America. Let’s us not wait just for that day but daily giving thanks to our God and Father. Your gratitude to God and others will make you whole and allow you enjoy the state of where you are now. Moving to the next “State” will not make you happy and whole but gratitude will, so enjoy and give thanks to God now. Thank you Lord for everything! Amen.
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