Thank you revision
The month of November ushers us into the Thanksgiving season. The scriptures remind us that Thanksgiving is not a seasonal act but a lifestyle of intentional appreciation that leads us into the presence of God and empowers us to be grateful in all circumstances.
In Luke 17:11-19, Jesus and His disciples were traveling to Jerusalem, and as he entered the city, he met 10 men who were lepers. They are isolated outside of town in a colony because leprosy was a contagious disease, and they could not contact other people.
When Jesus showed up, the lepers cried out from a distance, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.” They cried out from a distance because they couldn’t get close to Him. So, to cut the gap between where Jesus was and where they were, they raised their voices. Their circumstances were so dire, and their need for Him was so great that even though it wouldn’t look good, it wouldn’t sound good; when you get desperate enough, you don’t care who hears you hollering or screaming or begging, because nobody else can help. In other words, they weren’t too proud to beg.
Maybe you are reading this today, and you find yourself in need of mercy. If you’ve never been there, keep living because there will come a time in your life when you don’t want what you deserve. If some of us hadn’t gotten mercy, we wouldn’t be here today. If it had not been for the Lord who was on our side, where would we be?
Jesus called back, “Go, show yourselves to the priest.” This is interesting because you would go to the priest because leprosy was no more, and you wanted the priest to validate it. But that’s not what’s happening here. They are leprous, and before the leprosy is gone, Jesus says, “Go to the priest.” He inverts the process and gives the men instructions to go to the priest while still having a leprosy problem. The Bible says, as they were going, they were cleansed.
I am sure they would have loved it if Jesus had just touched them, and their leprosy disappeared. However, they didn’t see their change come until they acted on what Jesus told them to do.
A lot of folks want change, but they don’t want to go to the priest; they want to have a discussion, “Lord, what you are asking me to do doesn’t make sense.” May I remind you today that faith is acting like it is so, even when it’s not so, so that it might be so?
Notice they called Jesus “Master.” The word master meant somebody in authority who could change the situation. In other words, “Jesus, since you are in charge, you make the final call.”
One of the great things about being a Christian is that you have somebody bigger than everybody who gets to make the last call. Aren’t you thankful that you have a place to appeal to when people say no or when doctors say there is no hope and we’ve done all we can?
Jesus answered, Were not 10 cleansed? Where are the nine? Was not one found to give thanks except this foreigner [Luke 17:17]?
One of the greatest sins is ingratitude. Over and over again, Israel complained and murmured against God. Jesus gave thanks for two fish and five barley loaves. It wasn’t much, but He gave thanks for a little, and then God would do something supernatural.
May I encourage you today to go back and give God thanks for the goodness He’s already given you and the great things he has done for you? Remember to praise and thank Him for the wonderful things He has already done.
Be encouraged!
Chestine Sims Jr. of White Hall is pastor of Union AME Church at Little Rock. Please join the church for worship on Facebook live at 10:30 a.m. on Sunday.
Editor’s note: Pastors, ministers or other writers interested in writing for this section may submit articles to shope@ adgnewsroom.com. Please include your phone number and the name and location of your church or ministry.