"And as He entered into a certain village, there met Him ten men that were lepers, which stood afar off: And they lifted up their voices, and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us. And when He saw them, He said unto them, Go show yourselves to the priests. And it came to pass that as they went, they were cleansed. And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back and with a loud voice glorified God. And fell down on his face at His feet, giving Him thanks, and he was a Samaritan .......And He said unto him, Arise go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole." (Luke 17:12-19).
Ten lepers were cleansed by Jesus after praying to Him and obeying His instructions of going to show themselves to the priests. One of them, turned back to show his gratitude by throwing himself at Jesus' feet and thanking Him at the top of his voice. Jesus was surprised that out of ten lepers healed, it was only one who found it necessary to return and give Him thanks. Jesus then went ahead to pronounce wholeness on this grateful guy.
The following are noteworthy facts about Gratitude, Wholeness and Completion:
1. Gratitude Brings Wholeness: The nine lepers were cleansed, in other words the leprosy was cured but the scars inflicted by the leprosy remained. The one leper who returned to give thanks was made whole, that is in addition to him being healed, he received wholeness which means his deformed hands and feet were made normal again. Every time genuine and generous thanksgiving is offered to God, something extra, usually unbargained for is always added to the giver of such gratitude.
2. Gratitude Brings Completion: To complete simply means to finish and consummate well. Many in their hearts are casting aspersions at God's dealings with them in 2009. Because of unrealised expectations so far, their hearts are not totally warm towards God. The latter part of Job was tremendously blessed than his former because he still found a place of gratitude to God (in his heart) inspite of his numerous troubles(Job 1:20-22, 42:12-17). To finish this year fulfilled and well, heartfelt gratitude must be offered to God.
3. Gratitude Produces Faith: Because gratitude focuses on God's goodness and kindness in general, God is able to use it to spark off faith in the hearts of grateful people. Abraham came to a high point in his walk with God when God enabled him to believe against all hope because he was fervent in thanking God(Romans 4:19-21). He did not wait to see the promised child (Isaac) before he effusively praised God. And because of this action of his, God pumped faith in his heart.
4. Gratitude Produces Intimacy: It is true that all of us without exception are disposed to people who acknowledge us, value us and show appreciation to us at all times. Such people's generous and grateful disposition to us draw us closer to them. God testified of King David as a man after My heart(Acts 13:22). He wrote and sang songs, psalms and love notes to God regularly. David's resume at the end of his life reads thus: "And he died in a good old age, full of days, riches and honor and Solomon his son reigned in his stead."(1 Chronicles 29:28). David finished well because he was intimate with God.
5. Gratitude Brings Full Recovery: Recovery simply means taking back what has been lost or receiving what has eluded one. With a good attitude of gratitude as 2009 ends, we can reclaim lost oppotunities, benefits, blessings, favors, health,etc as we thank God for His goodness, His kind and loving nature, for blessings received so far, and also for expectations not yet realised. For once, as this year draws to a close, forget about yourself and needs, and concentrate on Him and Him alone.
Conclusion: Jesus is the face of God the father(John 14:8-9). Accept Him as Lord and Savior (if you have not done so)and God's good face will shine favorably on you this month and in the years to come.
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