I've been feeling better this last week. It's been a slow road to recovery, but I'm thankful that I'm doing a bit better with every passing day. I was even able to work on writing quite a bit this week which is something that I always enjoy. However, since I'm still not 100 percent, this week's sermon will be a little shorter than usual as was last week's.
In today's Scripture reading, we see the account of Jesus' encounter with the ten lepers. Ten lepers see Jesus from far away and they call out to Jesus asking that He heal them of their leprosy.
This was the custom in Bible times. Those who had leprosy were commanded to stay away from people. They also had to live outside of the cities. To be a leper was a terrible predicament.
Although these men were following the law and calling out from a far, Jesus wasn't unwilling to touch or be in contact with lepers. Jesus often touched and healed those who were afflicted with this dreaded disease. He loved these people that so many others rejected. In Jesus' day, those who had leprosy were considered to be great sinners who were being punished by God. But, Jesus showed that they were not outcasts from God's love. Jesus didn't rejected anyone.
When Jesus heard the lepers cry, He told the men to go and show themselves to the priest. This was the requirement according to the Old Testament law. If a leper believed himself to be cleansed, he was to go to the priest who would determine if the leprosy truly was cured. If cured, the priest would declare the individual clean, and he would be allowed back into society.
What Jesus was asking these men to do was to believe that they were healed. They would demonstrate their faith by going to the priest to show that they were cleansed. As the men were traveling to see the priest, they were completely healed by the miracle working power of Jesus.
When the ten men realized they were healed, nine of the men continued on their way. But, one man cried out glorifying God. He ran back to Jesus, fell at Jesus' feet, and gave thanks for his healing.
Jesus wondered where the other nine were. Why had only one man come back to give thanks for the good thing that had been done for him? Jesus told the man to get up. His faith had made him well.
I've often wondered why the other nine men didn't come back to give thanks. I don't think we can really say with any certainty. What I do know is that sometimes I'm not as thankful as I should be. I know that I make requests of the Lord, but sometimes I forget to say thank you. For instance, I've been praying a long time for peace in North Korea. Recently, North Korea agreed to curb its nuclear program. This was an answer to prayer. However, I realized that I forgot to give thanks.
This last week, I've been thinking of things to be thankful for. The past 8 weeks have been particularly hard. They've been some of the hardest times in the last 2 years, and the last 2 years haven't been a cake walk. I know that I've done my fair share of complaining. I needed to try to focus on the good things to be thankful for.
One simple thing I found to grateful for this week was the discovery of an author who writes dog stories. I've had a lot of fun this week researching the life of Albert Payson Terhune and reading his books about collies. I'm thankful that the Lord allowed me to find out about this.
I'm also thankful for the fact that yesterday was a beautiful day, and it felt great just to be out in the sunshine.
Another thing I've been thinking about lately and I'm thankful for is the fact that I live in a country that is free. When I see the religious turmoil, wars, and tension in other nations around the world, I'm thankful that I live in a land where I can go to any church I want to, I can travel anywhere I want to, and I have the freedom to write whatever I want to. These are things many in my country take for granted.
This week, I urge you in the midst of any difficulty you might be facing to think of things to be thankful to God for. Tell Him that you are thankful for what He had provided.
As always, we should express our thanksgiving to Jesus for dying on the cross to save us from our sins. We should be thankful that Jesus left His home in glory to be our Savior. We should be thankful for His love. Amen.
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