Title: Gratitude produces miracles (Luke 17:11-19)
[Luke 17:11-19]
[11] ♠ As Jesus was going to Jerusalem, he was passing between Samaria and Galilee [12] ♠ As he entered a village, ten lepers met him and stood at a distance [13] ♠ He raised his voice and said, “Jesus, Teacher, have mercy on us. [14] ♠ When he saw it, he said, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” As they went, they were cleansed [15] ♠ One of them saw that he was healed and returned, glorifying God with a loud voice [16] ♠ [17] Jesus answered and said to him, "Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the nine?" [18] Has no one returned to glorify God except these Gentiles? 19] Then he said to him, “Rise and go, for your faith has saved you.
It is not always good times when you are living your life of faith. There are bound to be ups and downs, and sometimes crises come. When a crisis comes, there is usually a sign that gratitude is disappearing from my lips. If there are no words of thanks at home, at work, or in the field of ministry, then you are already in a crisis. If you look at a healthy church, the members' lips do not cease to express their gratitude, and they live a life of faith with a bright expression like the sun. Although the conditions and circumstances have not changed in life, nevertheless, life seems to be plentiful for some reason. I hope that you too can lead a life of faith with a bright smile and a face of gratitude.
Gratitude is also a favorite word for Jesus. Although the word thanks does not appear in today's text, you can see how much Jesus emphasizes 'thank you' by looking at the context. On the way to Jerusalem, Jesus encounters 10 lepers and heals them at their pleas. But even after being healed of leprosy, the only person who came to Jesus and said thank you was the Samaritan. Jesus is moved by this man, but he is saddened by the remaining nine as shown in verses 17-18. We are living in an era where even if all ten people receive grace, there is only one person who is grateful for the grace.
A mature person is a person who concentrates on what God has given him, knows how to enjoy it, and is grateful for it. Strive to further develop what you have received. However, immature people focus on the little they do not receive rather than the much they receive from God, and they resent and complain about what others have. Those who know how to be grateful are grateful in all circumstances. Gratitude does not come from the abundance of possessions, but from enlightenment. Yes. We believe that the life of gratitude is not the property of the rich, but the property of those who know the grace of God. I think there should be many rich people among those who believe in Jesus. Who is rich? How can I enjoy wealth that will satisfy me and others? The method is to increase wealth or decrease greed. being satisfied with what you have. In the end, the standard of material abundance depends on one's choice. This Thanksgiving Sunday, I hope you experience the life of thanksgiving that God desires. May you create miracles through thanksgiving to the Lord. Let's find out through the Word what kind of blessing God leads us through thanksgiving.
1) Love is the channel of healing.
It is a misconception to think that a wealthy person has many conditions for gratitude. On the contrary, there are many people who do not stop giving thanks from their lips even if they lack what they have. The Lord was particularly concerned with the marginalized. The Lord visits the lepers. The lepers lived in an isolated village that had no place in Samaria or Galilee. It was a place where I had to live in isolation and abandonment. They were a body that had to go about claiming that they were cursed and pitiful. Lonely lepers with deep wounds of heart rather than physical illness lived together. Among them, one Samaritan was more lonely. They comforted each other and spared no respect, and the nine Jews rejected the Samaritan and ignored him. It cannot be embraced and cannot be changed. If we want to change, we need to care and love each other. We are in the midst of a difficult immigration life. Even if there are 99 conditions that you cannot be thankful for if you only look at the environment, if there is a personal encounter with the Lord that overcomes them, that will be the source of gratitude. I hope that you will be able to express abundant love and gratitude through this scene.
2) Pain is a channel of gratitude.
What is your situation? Aren't you feeling desperate because of an uncertain future and a blocked situation? But this is not the time to be discouraged. We believe that when Jesus comes, the place will be transformed into an environment of blessing. What is important is not the circumstances and conditions, but whether or not God is with me right now. Therefore, gratitude is paradoxical. In time, being afflicted with leprosy, being marginalized and abandoned becomes a blessing. Had it not been for leprosy, we would not have met Jesus. It is because if I am healthy and quiet, Jesus cannot be seen very well. I hope that you will experience the healing of suffering through the grace that God gives us.
3) Prayer is the channel of miracles.
On this Thanksgiving Day, I hope that you will have a time of comfort by encouraging your brothers and sisters who are having a hard time with warm words and sharing tea and meals. Even if I give them the grace I received, even if there is someone who hurts me, I want to give thanks to God even more. God will pour out miraculous and miraculous waters of living water, even for the smallest things in our lives, when we pour out a gulp of thanksgiving into the well of our soul. I hope that all of you in this place will stand in the same position as the Samaritans.