One of them when 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.
Luke 17:15-16
In the ancient world, leprosy was a terrible and incurable disease. It hopelessly disfigured those who had it, and it permanently cut them off from society. Without exception, every leper yearned for one thing: To be healed.
One day ten lepers approached Jesus outside a village, loudly pleading with him to heal them. In an instant he restored them all to perfect health, but only one came back and thanked Him. The other nine lepers left without a word of thanks; their minds preoccupied only with themselves; perhaps gripped with a spirit of ingratitude.
Today, too, ingratitude and thanklessness are far too common. Children forget to thank their parents for all that they do. Spouses take each other for granted. Some employers take their employees for granted. Common courtesy is scorned, and we forget to thank others for all the ways they help us become who we are. Above all, we fail to thank God for His blessings upon our lives.
Ingratitude is a sin, just as surely as is lying or stealing or immorality or any other sin condemned by the Bible. One of the Bible’s indictments against rebellious humanity is that “…although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, ….” (Romans 1:21). An ungrateful heart is a heart that is cold toward God and indifferent to His mercy and love. It is a heart that has forgotten how dependent we are on God for everything. As we begin this new week, make gratitude your theme. Identify one person each day and thank them for what they have done for you. Identify one blessing daily and thank God for it. Be like the grateful Samaritan!
Thank you, Father, for all that you are to me. I take nothing for granted. You have been there since the beginning of time, shepherding your children of which I am one, and I know that you will be there to the end. Today, I thank you for everything you have done for me, and for everything you are to me. In Jesus’ name, Amen!