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Luke 17:11-18 – 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?" (NIV)
When we are children, some of the first words that we are taught are "please" and "thank you", in some families even simplified as "ta-ta". Our children listen to our words and watch our actions, repeating what they see and hear as we adults interact with those around us.
Saying "thank you" is a kind gesture of appreciation for something done for us. When I was a child, I was prompted to say "thank you", and it was important to write thank-you notes, sharing what gifts or visits meant to me. Now with the ability to email and text, it is even easier to take a moment to say "thank you".
When I document minutes for meetings and then type and send those minutes out to members, the chairperson will send me a note of thanks for my efforts, each and every time I do this task. This is so encouraging! How good it feels to have someone show appreciation for our time and effort! But when we do something special for someone and they don't even acknowledge it, how disappointing and deflating it can be!
After Jesus responded with healing to the ten men who had the horrible leprosy disease, He expressed His surprise that only one out of the ten returned to thank Him for this healing. Jesus must have been disappointed that His efforts were not recognized and appreciated. How sad, maybe even upsetting this must have been for Jesus. This was a life-changing healing that was granted by Jesus. Once shunned and forced to live in isolation and poverty due to having this disease, they now had a chance to live, work, and socialize with friends and family. How much rejoicing this would bring, but only one returned to say "thank you" to Jesus.
God is constantly giving us gifts: life, health, strength, jobs, rain, sunshine, crops, food, and so on, as well as the forgiveness of our sins and eternal life in Christ. How discouraging it must be for God when people do not recognize and thank Him as the source of these benefits each day.
Do we remember to thank God, in our prayers, for the daily blessings in our lives?
Prayer: Dear God, thank You for loving us, blessing us, and supporting us in so many ways each day. Amen.
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Amen, Sharon.
Thank you, Sharon!
And thank you for sharing this reminder!
Great reminder for us all, Sharon! Thanks and blessings!
Thank you for this good word today, Sharon.
Be blessed.
Thank you, thank you, thank you for sharing this encouraging with us today! Blessings.
Thank-you Sharon- for your uplifting note!
I am going to share it.
Thank-you.
Hi Sharon. Thank you for today’s message. Thank you. Two little words that can change a lifetime. All the best.
Thank you for today’s contribution and for learning of another place name in Ontario.
(ON)
Thank you, Sharon. I’m learning to thank Him for everything, even the little stuff, like finding something or the beautiful sunset. It certainly changes my brain!
Well thank you for this reminder. Such a simple thing but so important.
Enjoy spring.
(Manitoba)
Thank you, Sharon, for your devotion today. It is good to be reminded to thank and encourage each other and to thank God daily for all our blessings! I look forward to seeing more devotions from you! Blessings.
Thank you for your reminder to be thankful.
I am very thankful to be able to read the daily word every morning.
Thank you for taking the time to write it.
God bless you.
Many thanks Sharon for your very mindful and encouraging words today. We have so much to be thankful to God for each and every moment in our lives. His presence is constantly with us and so deserving of our gratitude for the ever-loving Saviour given to us. Blessings for this very special writing.
Thank you, Sharon for sharing. You are a writer as I am. I thank God for the gift of writing. Words can do much as we see many who are lost in our world. I pray your message goes out through your gift of crafting beautiful words to glorify our Lord. Very inspiring words today which will touch many.
Good morning, Sharon,
A great message. Thank you for sharing your thoughts and your faith.
I looked up where Keady is because I have never heard of it.
Blessings.
Dear Sharon,
Thank you for your devotional. It is a good reminder both of how easy it is to be inward-focused as we go about our day, and also how easy it is to say a heart-felt “Thank you” to our Father for these daily gifts. Amen to your thoughts and prayer.
Blessings in Jesus,
(BC)
Good morning, Sharon.
Thank you for this. It is too bad every household does not get this important message.
A simple thank you means so much.
We truly do have many things to be thankful for.
Have a blessed day.
Thanks.
Good Morning, Sharon,
Your devotional this morning was right on the point. We take so much for granted. And for you to receive a thanks from the chairperson today… amazing. She must be over 50! I say that tongue in cheek, but I do think general thankfulness is something that should be stressed and especially thanks to God for the gift of his Son. (I fear our grandchildren who always say thanks have forgotten how to write!)
(Texas)
Good morning, Sharon,
Thank you for the good reminder that we should always be thankful and thank those who do things for us. I personally thank the Lord every day for the many blessings in our lives. A comfortable place to live in peace and quiet, our children and grandchildren etc. etc. A few years ago, I personally took a friend who was getting married a nice card with cash in it. I know that could use the money, never heard a thing.
Blessings on your writing.
Yes! “Thank you” – still a major part of our prayers.
ACTS, a reminder for the structure of prayer:
Adoration
Confession
Thanksgiving
Supplication
I was once in a prayer group where the wise leader stressed this format. And yet friends regularly jumped straight to a list of requests!
Thank you for this timely reminder!
(BC)
Thank you for this reminder to say thank you Lord – and thank you to those who serve us in the grocery store, on the bus, etc. etc.
Thanks Sharon, for the great reminder for us to give thanks and to show our appreciation to our Creator as well as to others.
I especially love to express my thankfulness to custodians as well as garbage collectors for doing their jobs. I really appreciate the work they do!
Sharon
I’ve heard that story many times, but I’ve never clued in to my own prayer life. How many times have I not thanked God for his goodness.
Thank you for making me aware of my shortcomings.
Blessings to you both.