I Will Give Thanks!

My father’s children there is not doubt in my mind, that the reason I am able to stand here before is because God has blessed me with two wonderful parents. There is some thing about my parents that I need to let you know, my parents believe in the scripture, “If you spare the rod, you’ll spoil the child.” (Proverbs 13:24)My parents didn’t not mind, every now and again, when I was out of line, reaching out and touching me, in order to let me know that I needed to get myself in order. I had parents who to taught me at a young age, “manners.” This may be a new term to this present generation, I was taught things like:

1. If you want something from someone, you don’t say, “Give me!” You say, “My I have please.”

2. If someone is talking you just don’t but in the conversation, but you say, “excuse me?”

3. If you step on someone’s foot, you just don’t keep on walking, but you say, “Excuse me, please!”

4. If somebody gives you something, you just don’t receive it, walk away, and act like they owe you something. The proper response you are supposed to say is, “Thank you!”

I am glad that I have parents that understand if you train up a child in the manner in which they should go, when they are old they shall not depart from that way. It is because of the training I had as a child, that I expect other people to have that same kind of respect. I need you to know that it ticks me off when I go to an establishment, I walk up and down the aisle, find something that suits me, and take it to the counter, give them my hard earn money and the worker doesn’t say a mumbling word. I don’t know about you, but that makes me upset, I already don’t like shopping then to be mistreated. It also ticks me off when I am driving into a store or gas station, and I see someone trying to get in the driveway or parking lot before me, instead of acting like I don’t see them, I stop to let them go ahead of me. Then they don’t do anything, they don’t wink, wave, or nod their head, they just go ahead and don’t say thank you that makes me upset. I thought about that thing, and I said, “if I am disturb when people don’t say thank to me, if I am bothered when people are rude towards me, if it ticks me off when people don’t say thank you, how do you think God feels? 1. We have folks that wake up every morning, and don’t say a mumbling word.

2. God puts clothes on your back, and we don’t say a mumbling word.

3. God puts food on your table, and we don’t say a mumbling word.

4. God puts a roof over our head, and we don’t say a mumbling word.

5. God puts gas in your car, and we don’t say a mumbling word.

But I made up in mind every time I get a chance, every time I get an opportunity, to say thank you unto God, I am going to open up my mouth, I am going to raise my hands, and I am going to tell God, “thank you!” Is there anybody here that just wants to tell God, Thank you?

1. Has God been good anybody?

2. Has he made a way for anybody?

3. Has he healed anybody?

4. Has he lifted anybody?

Well you ought to say, “THANK YOU!” I KNOW IT’S LATE BUT SOMEONE OUGHT TO SAY, “THANK YOU!”

What I like about this scripture, it is the quintessential example of someone that was thankful. You understand the story, the Bible say Jesus was somewhere between Samaria and Galilee. And the Bible says, as he was entering in a certain village he their met ten lepers. The Bible does not say where he met them, it does not give us the precise location, it just says, he found ten lepers.

1. He found them somewhere on the edges of specified space.

2. He found them somewhere on the fridges of precise definition.

3. There he found these ten lepers.

Let me pause parenthetically for a moment to ask you this question, “Aren’t glad that Jesus found you?” I know you don’t want to admit you had to be found, I know you want to sit up in here and perpetrate the fall as if you have always been saved and always known the Lord. I know you want us to believe that when you were born you had a Bible in one hand and a cross in the other, but the fact of the matter is we all had to be found. Jesus found you somewhere: