5 Minute Read

Prepare Your Heart

To the best of your ability, get rid of all distractions. Take a few minutes to breathe deeply and quiet yourself in the Lord’s presence. Then, ask the Lord to speak to you in this time. Let Him know that you will listen and make whatever adjustments He will reveal to you.

Read God’s Word

1 Samuel 6-8
Luke 17:11-37

A Verse for Today

Slowly and reflectively read the following verse(s) and listen to what God will say to you through His written Word. Consider writing down any insights He reveals to you.

Luke 17:17-18 (CSB): “Then Jesus said, ‘Were not ten cleansed? Where are the nine? Didn’t any return to give glory to God except this foreigner?’”

Reflecting on God’s Word

In Luke 17:11-19, we are given a very short and powerful account of Jesus’ interaction with 10 lepers. What happened on that day about 2,000 years ago still speaks volumes to us today.

Leprosy is a long, painful, lonely death. Essentially, it kills the nerve endings on the extremities of the body. So, as the fingers, toes, nose, ears, and other body parts lose feeling, infection eventually takes over, and body fragments begin to rot and fall off. Why? Because there is no pain that demands that the body part get the attention it needs.

In Luke 17:11-19, we read that 10 lepers recognized Jesus. Apparently, they had heard that He was a miracle worker. They could only hope that He would do something to help their miserable condition.

As you can imagine, someone who had leprosy for any length of time could be hard on the eyes. That’s why they were thought to be the object of God’s disfavor. They had to stand far away from people and yell, “Unclean! Unclean!” if anyone got too close. They couldn’t work, so they depended on charity. They couldn’t mingle with family, so they were incredibly lonely and sad. They were sent out of their town to find companionship in the only group that would tolerate them – other lepers.

Luke 17:12-13 (CSB): “As he entered a village, ten men with leprosy met him. They stood at a distance and raised their voices, saying, ‘Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!'”

We gather that the group was primarily Jewish because He told them to go to the priests. Jesus was calling them to comply with Leviticus 14, where the Israelites were told to get the priests to inspect them and declare them “clean” if they were truly healed and wanted to reintegrate back into society (quarantine in the Old Testament).

As the ten were walking to the nearest priest, they noticed they were healed. It happened as they obeyed Jesus’ instruction to go the priest. They obeyed and they were healed.

But, we are told that only one of them returned to Jesus to thank Him. The other nine were apparently so excited about their good fortune that they wanted to be declared “clean” by the priest and get back to “normalcy.” Sure, they were grateful that they were healed. But they didn’t have time to go back to actually tell Jesus of their gratitude. Only one did.

Did Jesus notice?

Luke 17:17-18 (CSB): “Then Jesus said, ‘Were not ten cleansed? Where are the nine? Didn’t any return to give glory to God except this foreigner?'”

God notices when we say “thank you,” and He notices when we don’t.

Further, His words tell us that when we express our gratitude to God, we are glorifying Him. Our gratitude demonstrates that we serve a good and gracious God.

Friend, boatloads of studies reveal how gratitude can do wonderful things for us. An article in Psychology Today (“7 Scientifically Proven Benefits of Gratitude”) once included the seven following benefits:

  • Opens the door to more relationships
  • Improves physical health
  • Improves psychological health
  • Enhances empathy and reduces aggression
  • Sleep better
  • Improves self-esteem
  • Increases mental strength 

So, when we realize that God is good and gracious, and when we observe that He notices when we are grateful, and when we see how good gratitude is for us, why don’t we do more of it?

Besides, if you ever wanted to know what God’s will for your life is, it’s being more grateful!

1 Thessalonians 5:18 (CSB): “give thanks in everything; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”

With so much to gain and nothing to lose, why not focus on being intentionally grateful today? Thank others when they do something kind for you. But be sure to thank your wonderful God each time you see Him doing something intended for your good. You just might realize that He’s much more loving and involved in your life than you ever imagined.

Spend Time in Prayer

  • Ask God to help you see how many blessings He has sent your way.
  • Express your heartfelt gratitude to Him for the blessings He has bestowed on you.

Going Deeper

If you want to dig a little deeper into the biblical topic of gratitude, consider reading the following GotQuestions article:

“What does the Bible say about thankfulness/gratitude?”

Sharing

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Matt Ellis is the pastor of First Baptist Church in Polk City, Florida (fbcpolkcity.com)