Lessons Learned From The Grateful Leper

Acknowledge what God has done and is doing rather than focus on what is not happening, or what we do not like. Most will not come back and thank Jesus for the things He is doing. Most will center in on what is not happening or conveniently forget what He did.

Illustration

H.A. Ironside was in a crowded restaurant and was about to eat his meal when a man approached and asked if he could join him for dinner. Ironside invited him to have a seat. Then, as was his custom, Ironside bowed his head in prayer. When he open his eyes, the other man asked, do you have a headache? No, I don’t. Well, is there something wrong with your food? No, I was simply thanking God for my food before I eat. The man said, oh, your one of those, are you? Well, I want you to know I never give thanks. I earn my money by the sweat of my brow and I don’t have to give thanks to anyone when I eat it. I just start right in. Ironside said, “Yes, your just like my dog. That is just what he does too.

If there is one sin that prevails today, it is the sin of ingratitude.

WE FORGET GOD

Illustration

we are much like the boy who was given an orange by a man. The boys mother asked, what do you say to the nice man? Peel it

Closing

Feeling thankful, being grateful is different from giving thanks.

(17-18)

“Jesus asked, were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner”? Then he said to him, rise and go, your faith has made you well”

I am sure all were grateful. Why wouldn’t you be... but only one was thankful and expressed gratitude.

Illustration

There was a father and mother of a young man killed in the military in a little church. One day they came to the pastor and told them they wanted to give a monetary gift as a memory to our son who died in battle. The pastor said, that’s a wonderful gesture on your part. He asked if it was okay to tell the congregation and they said that it was. So the next Sunday he told the congregation of the gift given in memory of the dead son. On the way home from church, another couple were driving down the highway when the father said to the wife, why don’t we give a gift because of our son? And his wife said, but our son didn’t die in any conflict Our son is alive Her husband replied, that is exactly my point.

That is all the more reason we ought to give in thanks to God.

We laugh about Mr. Rodgers, most don’t know him. His old sweater, teaching kids about moral values. Teaching us that please and thank you are ways to express our gratefulness instead of an attitude of expectation- peel it

There is a breakthrough when we throw ourselves at the feet of Jesus and thank him for what he is doing.

Illustration

I read about a women who was in the hospital when she got a bad report. She was so mad at God she went into the hospital chapel to tell God off. She was angry because she thought God had been fooling people by telling them he was a God of love. As she approached the front of the chapel she tripped and fell on her face. When she looked up she read what was engraved on the bottom step of the altar. “God, be merciful to me a sinner”. At that moment, God broke her heart and she realized she had no business blaming God, instead she should be asking for His mercy.