Let me tell you what we’re doing today. The game plan is simple … we’re running back to Jesus. We’re running back simply to tell him thank you. To show him what he has done in our lives. To express our gratitude. To give our praise. Yes, it’s time to run on back now to the one who has made every ounce of goodness you’re currently experiencing possible in your life.
The majority won’t ever stop to say thank you. Most will just keep running along in whatever direction Jesus has made possible. And maybe that used to be us. We used to live our lives that way. We just to pray about something, receive it, but never even stop to recognize the answered prayer before we move on to the next thing. We once ran from one desire to the next, from one problem to the next problem, never coming back to the one who has blessed us, saved us, healed us, restored us, and provided for us.
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BUT THAT’S NOT WHO WE ARE ANYMORE. Now that we know better, we can do better.
Luke 17: 12-19 “As Jesus was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy met him. They stood at a distance and called out in a loud voice, “Jesus, Master,have pity on us!”
When he saw them, he said, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were cleansed.
One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him—and he was a Samaritan.
Jesus asked, “Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? Has no one returned to give praise to God except this foreigner?” Then he said to him, “Rise and go; your faith has made you well.”
Oh there’s so much we could unpack in these few short verses. How their healing was found as they WENT. Yes sister, it’s not as you sit and wallow, it’s as you get up and go. It’s as you do everything you can with what you have, then Jesus comes in and does what only he can do. They were healed AS THEY WENT. Do you know when God provides that new job? Yeah, after you go on that interview. Do you know when God starts restoring your marriage? Yeah, after you go to marriage counseling, even if you have to go by yourself. Do you know when God starts providing supernaturally? Yeah, when you’re faithful with the little you already have.
But today, we’re going to focus on what happened AFTER the healing. For 9 of the 10, they just kept on going. They received their healing and never came back. Why? They assumed Jesus just knew? They figured their gratitude wasn’t really necessary? They were making up for the time they had lost being sick, so they were busy? Whatever the reason, they were healed and they didn’t return.
But 1 of the 10, he came back. He came back with the same enthusiasm he had before. Notice scripture says originally they “called out to Jesus in a loud voice.” Now, after receiving his healing, the one came back, and it says he was “praising God in a loud voice.” With as much energy as he cried out to Jesus, he came back with the same energy praising him.
Oh girl, do you thank him as much as you request of him? Do you praise him with the same urgency you came asking him with? If you would hit your knees begging for your child’s health, would you hit your knees praising God for that same child’s good health? If you asked him for the paycheck, did you thank him when you received it? If you asked him for the house you’re currently living in, do you still thank him for it every morning you wake up in it?
Get yourself back to Jesus and be the one that tells him thank you.
In my head, God is real busy. He’s so busy doing big things, he probably doesn’t need to be bothered with me telling him about every little thing in my life. I’m sure after 20 days in a row of me telling him thank you for the same exact thing, it gets a little old for him too, so eventually I stop doing it. He knows I’m grateful, do I really need to say it?
Well let me tell you, Jesus was shocked when only 1 of the 10 came back after receiving their healing. Jesus asked “were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine?”
Oh my goodness, what if Jesus has been looking for me … wondering why I haven’t come back to tell him thank you for that car that’s still somehow starting every morning, that job that’s still making it possible to buy groceries every week, those legs that are still walking and those lungs that are still breathing. Have I come back to tell him thank you, or did I just keep going?
One came back. Nine kept going. Jesus expected all ten to stop and recognize what he had done for them. I’ve been part of the nine entirely more than I would like to admit. I’ve been the recipient of perfect timing, divine connections, and miraculous details time and time again, and I just kept on going like it was normal.
It’s not normal. This is supernatural. It’s supernatural that you and I are breathing right now. It’s supernatural that we are here with the opportunities we each have today. This isn’t normal. Wake up sis … we gotta go back now!
Isn’t it funny how life touches us, humbles us, and teaches us a lesson to know better, all so we can start doing better. We’re here to do better with what we’ve learned now. Over the past 2 years life has taught us the little things we always took for granted were actually really big things. Big things like our kids being able to go to school on a Thursday. Big things like going to see mom or dad or grandma and grandpa. Big things like sneezing without freaking out. Big things like leaving yo’ dang house.
We’ve learned a lot. We have a whole list of things to be grateful for we didn’t even know to be grateful for before. Have we just carried on and moved forward, or have we returned? Have we returned with our new lessons, now knowing better, so we praise better?
Today is the 10th day of the 2nd month of 2022. Have you come back to tell Jesus thank you for all he’s done for you so far this year … or were you planning to do that later? Were you waiting to see how all this works out before offering your praise? Jesus has been waiting for you to come back and tell him about all you have received so far. Get yourself back to his feet and start telling him now!
Many years ago I read a statement that kinda took my breath away. It said “What if you woke up today with only what you thanked God for yesterday?” This sent fear down my spine. If I don’t thank God for it, will I lose it? Nope. That’s not it at all. But do you really want to be one of the ungrateful nine who never came back to say thank you?
I don’t want that, and I know you don’t either. That means we gotta get ourselves back to Jesus to say thank you, and pronto!
What did he do for you yesterday? Start there and thank him for it today.
The leper called to Jesus in a loud voice and asked for healing, then he came back with that same loud voice to praise him. I’ve fervently asked for a few things, now I will fervently thank him in the same way for all he has already done.
Look around sister, we are wildly rich and ridiculously blessed. We are entitled to none of this, so we can be grateful for all of it! Grateful to who … the one who made it possible. Now, get yo’self back to Jesus and tell him about it!
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