“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.’
Luke 17:11-19
Ah, yes, the unflattering human trait of
ingratitude! It’s not just limited to this ancient scripture passage.
When my aunt was a little girl, while
visiting friends, she was given bread for lunch. Prompted to display proper manners,
my grandmother prodded her, “What do you sa-a-a-a-y?”
My aunt’s answer, after a pregnant
pause?
“Butter!”
Let’s hear it for Ms. Manners.
In our culture, Thanksgiving means getting
a huge turkey, invading family (or being invaded by them), overeating and
feeling stressed about the next big
holiday.
Thankfulness? Gratitude?
Ideally, this should be our response…
“In everything give thanks: for this is the will of
God in Christ Jesus concerning you.”
But often, what’s the reality?
“Butter” seems to be more like it.
Yes, human beings can be selfish,
thoughtless and thankless, even concerning
a holiday focused on gratitude.
But that doesn’t mean that we are incapable of being grateful for something!
Years ago, one of my mentors shared the spiritual and emotional power
of sending thank you notes. She spoke of the seismic shift which occurs. It
changes your thinking, especially seeing the gratitude, in black and white, in
your own handwriting. It becomes concrete. There’s a concept, “what you focus
on the most becomes largest in your life.” How true. Philippians 4:8…
“Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever
things are honest, whatsoever
things are just, whatsoever
things are pure, whatsoever
things are lovely, whatsoever
things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these
things.”
God has been so good to each one of
us. Maybe, it’s worth the time to create our own thank you notes to Him for His
incredible love. Having trouble coming up with a list? How about considering
these reasons for gratitude?
1) You are alive; you have the gift of your life-
and not just survival either. Jeremiah
29:11…
“For
I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace
and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.”
2) You have a God Who loves you beyond human understanding:
“The LORD hath appeared of old unto me,
saying, ‘Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with
lovingkindness have I drawn thee.’”
Jeremiah
31:3
3) What about your health? Have you
ever thanked God for keeping your heartbeat going? Have you ever thanked Him
for your breath? Have you ever thanked God for keeping your systems and organs
functioning in a healthy manner?
4) And even if you’re ill, have you thanked God for being your healer?
“…I am the LORD
that healeth thee.”
Exodus 15:26
5) For all you have, even if it’s
imperfect: family, friends, prosperity, and wellbeing; have you thanked God for
that reality?
“In everything give thanks…”
1 Thessalonians
5:18
No matter what, God is
working with us, fully aware of every
detail.
“How
precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God!
How great is the sum of them! If
I should count them, they are more in number than the sand: when I awake, I am
still with thee.”
Have you and I thanked Him
for that?
There’s no excuse to be thankless
to a loving God. Whatever challenges we face, we need to embrace this relevant
truth; we can talk to Him. But part
of that communication needs to
include gratitude…
“Be careful for nothing; but in everything by prayer
and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.”
Philippians 4: 6
Take a moment- and stop. Reflect. Thank God now. Thanksgiving is a way of being. Be thankful. What do you s-a-a-a-a-ay?
Copyright © 2018 by Sheryle Cruse
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