The Blessing of Thanksgiving
(Luke 17:11-19)

God gives grace and blessing to the people of positive faith. Who, among those Israelites that came out of Egypt, enjoyed the blessing of entering the land of Canaan prepared by God? They were Joshua and Caleb who confessed positive faith. The expression of this positive faith is thanksgiving. Through the faith of absolute faith and thanksgiving, we can live a life, enjoying abundant grace from God on a daily basis.

1. The basis of thanksgiving
One day, ten lepers met Jesus. Because of illness, they could not approach him but at a distance cried that He would show them mercy. Through the encounter with Jesus, their life has been completely changed. These lepers represent who we are. While they were physically lepers, we were spiritual lepers living in sin and death. However, through meeting Jesus, we had the amazing grace of God that we were forgiven of our sins and that we became the children of God. This becomes the basis of our thanksgiving to God throughout our lives.

2. The practice of thanksgiving
Due to the encounter with Jesus, all the ten lepers were healed. However only one of them stopped on his way and returned to Jesus, giving thanks to Him. We should always practice thanksgiving in our lives. Nine of them forgot to thank Him. While going on their way to the priest, being obedient to the words of Jesus, they were healed. Whether in hardship and failure, we should give thanks in all situations. If you give thanks to God in suffering, believing there must be God’s good will, God will be glorified through us and pour out amazing blessings to us.

3. The blessing of thanksgiving
The one who returned to give thanks to Jesus was a Samaritan who used to be despised by Jews in those days. When he gave thanks to Jesus, He said to him, “Your faith has healed you.” He was saved not only from the physical disease but also from sin, which is spiritual disease. If the door of thanksgiving is opened in our lives, that of blessings will also be opened. Blessed people are not those who have much but who are much thankful. Therefore we should practice thanksgiving in all matters. By giving abundant thanksgiving to God, we should live to please God.

In this season of thanksgiving, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well you, even as your soul is getting along well, from thanking the grace of the Lord, who saved us that deserved eternal death and practicing thanksgiving.