Week 47

11And it came to pass, as he went to Jerusalem, that he passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee.
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.
Luke 17:11-19

In honor of the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday, I wanted to use a scripture on being thankful for my weekly devotional. I was looking for a scripture in the Psalms, but then the story of the 10 lepers grabbed my attention.

There are so many things I have to be thankful for. I have friends and family who love me. I have my health. I have a good job. I have a home. I have resources to take care of my basic needs and some of my wants.

The most important thing I am thankful for is my relationship with God and the gift of salvation.

I want to be the first in line falling down on my face and giving thanks to God. And saying thanks doesn’t really seem like enough. How could one possibly muster of the words needed to express thanks for such a powerful gift?

I am trying to always be present and thankful. I am also trying to present my body as a living sacrifice, which isn’t always easy, but compared to the Cross…well it is my reasonable service.