In the story of the ten lepers, Jesus heals 10 men of their leprosy (an infectious disease that affects the skin, with bumps and lesions, the eyes and nose, and peripheral nerves) and in the midst of receiving so great a miracle, only one of the 10 men even thinks to give thanks to the one who healed him. This man was a Samaritan (which means he was despised by the Jews) so naturally, he had no immediate reason to give glory to God or Jesus, a Jew. Yet in seeing the miracle that had been performed for him, the ex-leper could not help but to cry out to God and thank Him for His kindness. The Scripture says that he “fell on his face at Jesus’ feet, giving him thanks” (Luke 17:16).

When God does something for us, our immediate response should be gratitude. We should be so enamored with the magnitude of God’s grace that we forget ourselves---as the Samaritan paid no mind to his social or religious status---and are instantly drawn to the throne; to the feet of Jesus in a posture of thanks.

And when we make it our mission to practice gratitude, our faith will increase before our eyes.

“And he said to him, ‘Rise and go your way; your faith has made you well.’” Luke 17:19

You see, while the other nine men, who by the way did not stop to thank God or Jesus for their new and restored bodies, were only healed physically, the one thankful man was wholly renewed. His first healing came to his body, but because of his faith, he secured for himself forgiveness of his sins---the salvation of his soul. When we learn to thank God for all of the earthly blessings He gives to us, we prepare our hearts to receive with thanksgiving our ultimate gift---the gift of eternal life with Him in heaven.

Last Thursday many of us in America gathered at our dinner tables to partake in an abundant feast with family. If we did it right, the “grace,” that was said at the table was one that gave honor to God for the blessing and privilege of sharing such an elaborate meal with the people we care about the most. Yet our posture of thanks should not simply end with a quick prayer said at the dinner table. It is to continue on in our day to day living. When we look in our refrigerators we should thank Him for the leftovers! When we go outside we should thank Him for a warm place to stay during the cold winter season. In all things, we are to give Him thanks, for without Him nothing is made possible.

So after reading this and hearing the story of the ten lepers, how would you measure your attitude of gratitude? Are you like the Samaritan man who stopped everything he was doing to run to Jesus and give thanks to God "with a loud voice" (Luke 17:15)? Or, are you like the other nine who were too busy to even consider God and His grace?

Whoever you are, thank Him today and keep on thanking Him. And if you don’t know what to say, simply pray this prayer with me:

Dear God, I thank You that You are a God who blesses us with way more than we deserve. I thank You for Your Word, which is alive and active, and for the story of the ten lepers. I thank You that through this story, I have a model of what true thankfulness looks like. I thank You that today, if I confess my sins to You and repent of my ungratefulness, You will surely forgive me. I thank You that You love me and have always loved me and I thank You for the faith that You will build in me from here on out. I look forward to new life with You in Christ Jesus and I am excited to begin seeing the good that You have done and will do for me each day. I pray this in Jesus’ name, Amen.

“Rise and go your way; your faith has made you well.” Luke 17:19