Happy Thanksgiving!
11/22/07 11:39 AM
When I think about Thanksgiving, this passage
always comes to mind:
Luke 17:11-19, "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.'"
"Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine?" - haunting words from Jesus. It's sad to say, but sometimes it seems as though the statistics haven't changed that much. Which group would you be in? Would you be with the nine, the majority, who wanted and received a great blessing from God, but didn't give thanks? Or would you be like the one, who knew he had been greatly blessed, who recognized it came from Jesus, and who personally made the effort to thank Him?
One line from an old chorus (Give Thanks) we used to sing says, "Give thanks, because He's given Jesus Christ, His Son." I can think of no greater reason to be thankful. How are you expressing your thanks? I'm sure the nine lepers were glad they were healed, but remember, only one actually made a physical effort to express it. When we gather together to worship God on Sunday mornings and God asks, "Where are the others? Weren't they all blessed?" which group are you in? When we remember the sacrifice Jesus made on our behalf by taking the Lord's Supper and God asks, "Where are the others? Didn't my Son die for them all?" which group are you in? When we take up our offering to reach our community and world for Christ and God asks, "Where is the rest? Haven't they all been blessed?" which group are you in? When ministry opportunities arise and God asks, "Where are the others?" which group are you in? When God sees so many people who need someone to build a friendship with them, to reach out to them, to invite them to a church or a Small Group, and yet He sees only a very few doing it and He asks, "Where are the others?" which group are you in?
Let's be in the group that expresses our thanks with every aspect of our lives. And let's be like the one who was healed who "praised God in a loud voice" and who "threw himself at Jesus' feet and thanked Him."
Father thank You for loving me and saving me in spite of who I am! Thank You for Jesus! Thank You for Your grace and patience. Thank You for the best life I could ever imagine. Thank You for my beautiful wife Janet. She is my best friend. She is the best wife and mother I could ever imagine. In her, You gave me more than I could ever ask, dream, or imagine. Father, thank You for Lydia and Christopher. Seeing them grow to know and love You and others is the joy of my life. I am so proud of who they are and who they are becoming. Thank You for some of the best friends a guy could or should ever have - friends that I could call at 3 in the morning and they would drop everything and be here. Thank You for Coastal Community Church! It has been the adventure of a lifetime and the best is yet to come! Thank You for allowing me to preach Your Word, shepherd Your flock, lead and serve Your people, and cast Your vision. I am Your unworthy servant. Thank You for the hope of heaven. I can't wait for the day when You call me home or when the sky splits, the trumpet sounds, I bow my knee, cry out, "Jesus is Lord," and get to see Jesus face to face! And thank You that in the meantime You allow me to share Jesus with the world around me!
Luke 17:11-19, "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.'"
"Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine?" - haunting words from Jesus. It's sad to say, but sometimes it seems as though the statistics haven't changed that much. Which group would you be in? Would you be with the nine, the majority, who wanted and received a great blessing from God, but didn't give thanks? Or would you be like the one, who knew he had been greatly blessed, who recognized it came from Jesus, and who personally made the effort to thank Him?
One line from an old chorus (Give Thanks) we used to sing says, "Give thanks, because He's given Jesus Christ, His Son." I can think of no greater reason to be thankful. How are you expressing your thanks? I'm sure the nine lepers were glad they were healed, but remember, only one actually made a physical effort to express it. When we gather together to worship God on Sunday mornings and God asks, "Where are the others? Weren't they all blessed?" which group are you in? When we remember the sacrifice Jesus made on our behalf by taking the Lord's Supper and God asks, "Where are the others? Didn't my Son die for them all?" which group are you in? When we take up our offering to reach our community and world for Christ and God asks, "Where is the rest? Haven't they all been blessed?" which group are you in? When ministry opportunities arise and God asks, "Where are the others?" which group are you in? When God sees so many people who need someone to build a friendship with them, to reach out to them, to invite them to a church or a Small Group, and yet He sees only a very few doing it and He asks, "Where are the others?" which group are you in?
Let's be in the group that expresses our thanks with every aspect of our lives. And let's be like the one who was healed who "praised God in a loud voice" and who "threw himself at Jesus' feet and thanked Him."
Father thank You for loving me and saving me in spite of who I am! Thank You for Jesus! Thank You for Your grace and patience. Thank You for the best life I could ever imagine. Thank You for my beautiful wife Janet. She is my best friend. She is the best wife and mother I could ever imagine. In her, You gave me more than I could ever ask, dream, or imagine. Father, thank You for Lydia and Christopher. Seeing them grow to know and love You and others is the joy of my life. I am so proud of who they are and who they are becoming. Thank You for some of the best friends a guy could or should ever have - friends that I could call at 3 in the morning and they would drop everything and be here. Thank You for Coastal Community Church! It has been the adventure of a lifetime and the best is yet to come! Thank You for allowing me to preach Your Word, shepherd Your flock, lead and serve Your people, and cast Your vision. I am Your unworthy servant. Thank You for the hope of heaven. I can't wait for the day when You call me home or when the sky splits, the trumpet sounds, I bow my knee, cry out, "Jesus is Lord," and get to see Jesus face to face! And thank You that in the meantime You allow me to share Jesus with the world around me!
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