| January 29, 2006
The Greatness Of Gratitude
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Jesus was on His way to Jerusalem when ten lepers approached Him. Standing at a distance, as lepers were required to do, they called to Him: "Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!" (Luke 17:13).
When Jesus saw them, He commanded, "Go, show yourselves to the priests." And as they journeyed, they were healed.
One of them, when he saw that he was healed, came back, threw himself at Jesus' feet, and thanked Him. "Where are the nine?" Jesus asked. Good question.
Jesus referred to the grateful man as a Samaritan—an outsider—perhaps to underscore His saying that "the sons of this world are more shrewd . . . than the sons of light" (16:8). The word translated "shrewd" means "thoughtful." Sometimes people of the world have better manners than Jesus' followers do.
In the busyness of life, we may forget to give thanks. Someone has done something for us—given a gift, performed a task, delivered a timely sermon, provided a word of counsel or comfort. But we fail to say thanks.
Has someone done something for you this week? Give that friend a call or send a thank-you note. After all, "Love has good manners" (1 Corinthians 13:5 Phillips). —David Roper
You give us on our way;
May we for these be grateful,
And praise You every day. —Roworth
We don't need more to be thankful for—we just need to be more thankful.
How Can I Be Filled With The Spirit?