Sunday, May 24, 2009

Gratitude Shows Our Faith

I love this passage of scripture:

12 And as he entered into a certain village, there met him ten men that were lepers, which stood afar off:
13 And they lifted up their voices, and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.
14 And 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.
15 And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God,
16 And fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan.
17 And Jesus answering said, Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine?
18 There are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger.
19 And he said unto him, Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole.

All ten were healed of their leprosy, but only the one was made whole. To me, this means he was physically and spiritually cleansed. It's interesting to me that Jesus said, "thy faith hath made thee whole." He didn't say his gratitude had made him whole, or his willingness to come back had made him whole. However, these things showed his faith. He believed in Christ, and he came back to make it known by giving Him thanks.

As we express our gratitude to our Heavenly Father, our faith in Him is also expressed. "Coincidence" or "luck" turn into faith as we acknowledge God's hand in all things. They become tender mercies of the Lord. When we give prayers of thanksgiving, we let Heavenly Father know that we know of His love and guidance in our lives. We show Him our faith.

1 comment:

Tina said...

Great insight and reminder that the outward expression of our faith, through gratitude, is an important, even simple, part of increasing our faith. I know the more I express gratitude for the little blessings in life, the more I am able to recognize and appreciate the Lord's hand in my life. And it's always comforting to know the Lord is aware of ever detail and that he stands ready help and to bless us.

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