Thanksgiving – Getting the blessing and not just the cure
Luke 17th Chapter
12And as he entered into a certain village, there met him
ten men that were lepers, which stood afar off: 13And they
lifted up their voices, and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us. 14And
when he saw them, he said unto them, Go shew yourselves unto the priests. And
it came to pass, that, as they went, they were cleansed.
15And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned
back, and with a loud voice glorified God, 16And fell down on his face at his
feet, giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan. 17And Jesus
answering said, Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine? 18There
are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger. 19And
he said unto him, Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole.
Often we ask God for things, and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that.
But what happens when we thank Him for those things with all of our heart, soul,
and mind? In our text, we see ten lepers ask for healing and receive healing.
Again, there’s nothing wrong with that. I’m sure that because of their condition,
they had been consumed with ailments and discomforts, and they wanted relief.
However, once they received their cure, nine of the men did not take the time
to thank the Lord for what He had done; only one of them did. And because of
the thanksgiving in his heart, that one leper received more than just a cure;
he received a blessing — and a mighty one.
This one leper was relieved not only physically, but also spiritually and financially.
Now, I hear the critics say, "Come on Brother Yon. This text says nothing
about money." But I contend that it does. The 19th verse tells us that
Jesus said unto the leper, "Thy faith hath made thee whole." Now to
me whole means whole. Whole doesn’t mean being set free physically and not being
able to eat, pay your cable bill, or have a roof over your head. Noooooo, beloved
of God. Whole means the "whole enchilada!!" You’re not going to need
a house. Why? Because you’ve got one. You’re not going need the car, Why? Because
you’ve got one. You’re not going to need a mate. Why? Because you’ve got one.
And this one leper received all of these blessings because he could not help
but to go back and give thanks.
As we enter this season of thanksgiving, let us remember to thank the Lord,
not only for the cure but also for the blessing.
