GIVE THANKS
A man writing at the post office desk was approached by an older fellow who had a post card in his hand. The old man said, "Sir, could you please address this post card for me?" The man gladly did so, and he agreed to write a short message on the post card, and he even signed it for the man, too. Finally the man doing the writing said to the older man, "Now, is there anything else I can do for you?" The old fellow thought about it for a minute, and he said, "Yes, at the end could you just put, 'P.S. Please excuse the sloppy handwriting.'" Have you ever been in a situation like this. You offer your help but it is met with contempt. Jesus knew what it is like to give without receiving thanks.
Luke 17:11 Now on his way to Jerusalem, Jesus traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee. 12 As he was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy met him. They stood at a distance 13 and called out in a loud voice, "Jesus, Master, have pity on us!" 14 When he saw them, he said, "Go, show yourselves to the priests." And as they went, they were cleansed. 15 One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. 16 He threw himself at Jesus' feet and thanked him -- and he was a Samaritan. 17 Jesus asked, "Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? 18 Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?" 19 Then he said to him, "Rise and go; your faith has made you well"
As Jesus was traveling a group of 10 men with leprosy met him. These men would have lived very hard lives. Even to be seen in public was dangerous let alone expecting or hoping that Jesus would heal them. Acting in faith they took Jesus at His word and were healed. Nine of those who were healed did not return to thank Jesus for what He had done. Have you ever wondered why? Even the church today there are many who have experienced the blessing and forgiveness of Jesus but do not seem to show gratitude in their lives.
Our biggest problem in the church today is this vast majority of Sunday morning Christians who claim to have known the Master's cure but do not return to thank Him by presence, prayer, testimony and support of His church. In fact, the whole Christian life is one big "Thank You," the living expression of our gratitude to God for His goodness. But we take Him for granted and what we take for granted we never take seriously. -- Vance Havner
1. Remembering to Give Thanks –
Have you ever forgotten to give thanks? I know I have. When was the last time you gave of yourself to another and, instead of receiving thanks, only saw indifference.
I worked one summer in the inner city of Toronto at a food bank. One day a woman came in for help. I went and picked out a big bag of food for her. When I gave it to her she looked into the bag and the first words out of her mouth were "I HATE beans!". She proceeded to complain about everthing in the bag and left as I apologized for what I had given her.
Gifts are only received with thanks when they are recognized as gifts. Perhaps these lepers felt they had somehow earned the healing. With all they had been through and suffered they deserved to be healed. God owed it to them. Have you ever thought like that? I have gone to church and said my prayers and done my service - I deserve the blessing of God in my life!
Some people are appreciative by nature, but some are not; and it is these latter people who especially need God's power to express thanksgiving. We should remember that every good gift comes from God and that He is "the Source, Support, and End of all things." The very breath in our mouths is the free gift of God. Thankfulness is the opposite of selfishness. The selfish person says, "I deserve what comes to me! Other people ought to make me happy." But the mature Christian realizes that life is a gift from God, and that the blessings of life come only from His bountiful hand. -- Warren W. Wiersbe
All of us like the lepers were once hopeless. We could not earn our salvation or win God’s favor through good works. We all deserved death but received the gift of life.
Remember the story of the sinful woman in Luke 7. Jesus summed up his parable by saying:
Luke 7:47 Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven -- for she loved much . But he who has been forgiven little loves little
A lack of gratitude in life shows that we do not really understand our need for salvation and the lengths God went to in order for us to be saved.
2. Returning to Give Thanks –
Perhaps these men were grateful but they simply chose not to return and express that gratitude. Maybe they thought “I’ll make sure that the next time I see Jesus I will thank Him.” I am sure that these men had people to see and things to do now that they were healed. They wanted to thank Him – just latter. Have you ever been like that. Someone shows you an act of kindness and you think to yourself, “I need to write then a note of thanks but then you forget”. It is easy to put off giving thanks.
In Vermont an old farmer was sitting on the porch with his wife. He was beginning to realize how much she meant to him. It was about time--for they had lived together forty-two years, and she had been such a help, a very willing hard worker. As they sat together, he said, "Wife, you've been such a wonderful woman that there are times I can hardly keep from telling you."
Thankfulness is an act of the will and not just an emotion. It is not something that happens automatically but requires a conscience decision and action.
You can learn to give thanks even if you don't feel particularly thankful. If God gives a command, he expects obedience, whether you are in the mood or not. Thankfulness, like forgiveness, is not an emotion. Thankfulness is an intelligent response of gratitude to God. -- Erwin W. Lutzer
3. Rejoicing - Living to Give Thanks –
Giving thanks is not just something you do in response to a gift or when you remember God’s mercy but for Christians it is a lifestyle. Perhaps the lepers did not return to thank Jesus because they had forgotten how to be thankful. They had lived the life of un-thankfulness too long. After all, what reason does a leper have to give thanks? Sometimes we can become like that. When we see only tragedies in life and not triumphs then our hearts turn cold. As Christians we are told to give thanks at all times and for all things. Every day is thanksgiving.
Col 3:15-17 Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. 16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. 17 And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
Today is thanksgiving. Maybe you are here today and you have a long list of things to be thankful for. Maybe you are here today and you have been going through a difficult time recently and are having a hard time giving thanks. Whatever the case we are called as Christians to live a life of thanksgiving.
If one should give me a dish of sand and tell me there were particles of iron in it, I might look for them with my eyes and search for them with my clumsy fingers and be unable to detect them; but let me take a magnet and sweep through it and now would it draw to itself the almost invisible particles by the mere power of attraction. The unthankful heart, like my finger in the sand, discovers no mercies; but let the thankful heart sweep through the day and as the magnet finds the iron, so it will find, in every hour, some heavenly blessings, only the iron in God's sand is gold! -- Henry Ward Beecher
The one leper recognized that what had happened was a gift he had not earned. He understood how bad his disease really was and how great was the gift of healing that Jesus had given. He remembered and he returned and to give thanks and worship. How about you? Which leper are you?
This day we set aside as a time to give thanks. Every good and perfect gift comes from above. Remember today you have many reasons to give thanks. Return today to the feet of Jesus and offer that thanks and may we daily live a life of thanksgiving before everyone we meet.
