“Now on his way to Jerusalem, Jesus traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee. As he 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? Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?” Then he said to him, “Rise and go; your faith has made you well.”” (Luke 17:11-19, NIV)
I thought about this story today as I had the opportunity, with my wife, to thank some people who are very dear to us and have been influential in our lives. It felt great to say “Thank you.”
You don’t need a Bible degree to understand the moral of this story: 1) Be thankful. When someone does something nice for you, be appreciative. 2) Don’t assume they know what you are thinking – tell them…return to tell them if necessary. Say the actual words: “Thank you.” Unfortunately, it seems only 1 in 10 is thankful.
Saying thank you is not hard to do and I believe our lives would be much better if this became the norm. Our marriages would be better. Our relationships with our kids would be better. We’d have better workplaces. Think about it: if Jesus appreciated being thanked, don’t you think others will as well?
To what do we owe human thanklessness? I’m not sure, but part of it is our lack of humility. When something good happens in our lives or someone does something nice for us, we often feel like we deserve it or that it is owed to us. Like the lepers, we are quick to call out when in need, but then won’t return in thanks…because we’re focused on ourselves. J.C. Ryle says: “Thankfulness is a flower which will never bloom well excepting upon a root of deep humility.”
So let’s get over ourselves and thank someone this week! I’ll see you in church!
Pastor Jim
PS Thank you for “checking in” this week on Facebook – on Sunday we provided 147 days of school for underprivileged children through Reach. #school4kids
