Christian Living
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........Jesus asked, "Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine?" {Luke 17:11-17}
Recently, I've been reading a book that briefly addresses one's daily routine with the Lord and how it affects our everyday life as well as the lives and actions of those around us. A challenge was presented to focus on and pray about only the things we are thankful for throughout the day....WITHOUT making any requests. Perfect idea, I thought - sounds easy!
No. It wasn't easy at all. In fact, I failed the challenge miserably. However, it did uncover yet another flaw in my spiritual character. Not only did I forget to thank God during that day, I asked, beseeched and even begged for His assistance ALL DAY LONG! Now, I'm not saying it's a bad thing to ask the Lord to intervene in your life - He tells us to do just that! Philippians 4:6 {NLT} says - ....pray about everything. Tell God what you need......BUT I couldn't complete ONE day of uninhibited thanksgiving. ONE DAY!!
I, like nine of the ten men in the story, take the help my God gives freely every day, but I don't take the time to "throw myself at Jesus' feet," overcome with gratitude. I often go about my day-to-day activities without so much as a quick, "Thanks God!" It's as if I feel entitled to life, health, my family, food to eat and a home. I completely take advantage of all the wonderful things God blesses me with every day.
Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior, who daily bears our burdens. {Psalm 68:19}
The other day, my son and were out running errands. I am trying to instill good manners and shivery into my very impressionable young one, so I make sure he (we) hold the door for ladies when we are entering and exiting places. I saw a woman approaching the entrance as we got to the door so we held it open for her. She walked in....and that was it. Never smiled. Never said thank you. Of course, we don't help others with the expectation of repayment, but it would have just been nice to know she appreciated our effort. How rude......right?
When we begin to EXPECT the precious gifts God gives us daily, we sometimes start to become complacent and unappreciative. We have to remember God doesn't owe us anything. Instead, we owe Him EVERYTHING! Since He is a mighty God, all-powerful and all-knowing, He doesn't really need anything from us so the very least we could offer is our PRAISE and THANKSGIVING for His presence in our lives. I think we often forget just who it is we serve. Our God is The Most High King of kings! And receiving anything from Him is an awesome privilege, NOT a right.
Know that the LORD is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations. {Psalm 100:3-5}
So who will you be - one of the nine OR the ONE? I'm certainly turning from my thankless ways; I'm running back to the Giver of all good things with a grateful heart EVERY DAY! I've been writing down at least five things I'm thankful for in my devotional journal daily....it's a start! There's more JOY in recognizing God's mighty hand at work in our lives than in the actual blessing itself!!
We will celebrate and praise you, LORD! You are good to us, and your love never fails. No one can praise you enough for all of the mighty things you have done. {Psalm 106:1-2}
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Indeed, we need to do more of this! Thanks for this wonderful reminder!!
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