Come Back And Say Thank You. Lesson 6 of 40

 

I am quick to remind my children to say, “thank you,” in response to kindness. I am not a happy mom when they take the blessing and keep it moving without expressing gratitude. My heavenly father wants the same from me, a heart to come back and say thanks.

In Luke 17 we have the story of 10 lepers who were healed by Jesus and only one came back to say thank you. The others received their healing and went on their merry way. By not coming back to say thank you, they missed out on something of greater value than their physical healing. You see, when they first cried out for healing, they were at a distance because as lepers they couldn’t come close to others. However, the one leper who returned after being healed found himself at the feet of Jesus. His leprous state initially kept him distant from Jesus, but His heart of gratitude after receiving healing brought him to the feet of Jesus.

I have learned that having a heart of gratitude and coming back to say thank you, helps to pave the way to Jesus’ presence. Some years ago, I began a habit of waking up and jotting down in my journal ‘thankful moments’ from the previous days. I realize that the more I focus on saying thank you and praising God, the more aware I became of all that He has done. There are so many blessings I have overlooked in the past because I was more focused on what was wrong, instead of coming back to tell God thank you for all that He made right. Which of the lepers are you most like, the one who came back to say thank you or the nine who did not?
Be Blessed
Anika

1 Thessalonians 5:18 (NLT)
Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.

Psalm 107:1 (NLT)
Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever.