Wednesday Words of Encouragement

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, priasing 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 17:1-19

I love Thanksgiving. I love the meal, the friends and family, but most of all, the reminder to give thanks to the Lord for my blessings. It is so easy to remember all the things I'm thankful for during this season.

But what about the rest of the year? How many things has God done for me that I forget to thank Him for? The season of Thanksgiving and Christmas inspire gratitude. But when the holidays are over, and I'm in the middle of a very long winter, do I still have an attitude of gratitude? Do I remember to say, "Thank you?"

I read this story of the ten lepers and can't imagine being healed of a ravaging disease and not coming back to thank Jesus. Yet, I'm sure that there have been times when I've forgotten to do so. Or there are times when my gratefulness turns into whining at the next trial. It's as if I've forgotten what God has done for me previously.

We may never see anything as tremendous as a healing from a major disease or illness, but even the fact that we open our eyes each morning should cause us to say, "Thank you, Lord for the gift of life." The very air we breathe is a precious gift. 

Let your lips be full of praise and thanksgiving each day. It's wonderful to list our blessings during the Thanksgiving season, but we should be known by our gratitude and thanksgiving the rest of the year as well. 

Have a blessed Thanksgiving!