On his way to Jerusalem, Jesus was traveling between Galilee and Samaria when he passed through a village with ten lepers. They begged Jesus to have pity on them, so Jesus sent them to the priests, and on their way they were healed. Out of the ten, only one took the time to go back to thank Jesus (Luke 17).
Most of us might be disgusted with the nine others who wouldn’t even say thanks, but we should first ask ourselves whether we are ever like that. If our doctor told us that we were going blind and there was no cure, we would be devastated. And yet how many of us take time to thank God for our eyesight? How about our hearing, our homes, our families, our friends, our jobs, our car, our health or any one of a thousand other things we take for granted?
Gratitude is a big deal with God. Giving thanks is mentioned about 50 times in the New Testament alone. In fact, Paul says in Romans 1 that failure to give thanks is one of the reasons for God’s judgment on unbelievers. This Thanksgiving, take some time to reflect on all the blessings God has given you—especially things that you usually take for granted—and thank God for them!
Happy Thanksgiving!
