A Grateful Heart 

Luke 17: 12 - 18 says this, “As [Jesus] 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--and he was a Samaritan."

“Jesus asked, ‘Were not all ten cleansed?  Where are the other nine?  Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?’”

Tinder-dry, dusty, brown… livestock grazing on the parched pastures… winter wheat barely finding enough moisture to struggle to the surface.  Just last fall and even early  this spring, this described Norton County.  As the winter proceeded without any plentiful moisture, some were beginning to despair of their livelihoods.  The local economy was looking pretty bleak.  Some began to be hopeless, but others began to call prayer meetings.  They called out to God to grant us the necessary rains to save the crops.

Now, look out your window.  Everything is lush, green and almost miraculously alive!  The flowers were never so abundant nor smelled so sweet as this spring.  We, too, called out “Jesus, Master, have pity on us,” and God in heaven answered yes to our prayers!

The lepers cried out for help “in a loud voice.”  The one who returned praised God “in a loud voice.”   Have you thanked Him and praised Him as much, as often and as loudly as you prayed for His blessings?  Are you in church regularly on Sunday mornings as a thank offering to Him, praising Him and trusting Him for the harvest?

Isaiah 29: 13 says, “These people… honor me with their lips but their hearts are far from me.”  Although giving verbal praise to God is good, the highest praise you can give to God is to give Him your life with NO restrictions, whatsoever.  Receive the Lord Jesus Christ.  Know and obey His Word.

A precious hymn of the church records this verse, “O give us homes where Christ is Lord and Master, The Bible read, the precious hymns still sung; Where prayer comes first in peace or in disaster, And praise is natural speech to every tongue…”

Can you be the one who will come to God and say, “Lord, I am SO grateful that you have given me life and that your mercies are new every morning.  I am so grateful that your beloved Son Jesus Christ came to earth to die in my place so I can receive forgiveness of my sins when I repent and believe in Him.  Father God, help me to live a life of gratefulness and repentance that will honor you in all ways by turning from going my own way to pursuing Your way as proclaimed in the Holy Scriptures.  From here forward, may my life be a thank offering to you!”