Always Thankful

“Then He said to him, ‘Rise and go; your faith has made you well.’” - Luke 17:19

When the Samaritan leper came back and thanked Jesus for healing him, Jesus said more than just, “You’re welcome.” Luke 17:19 says, “Rise and go; your faith has made you well.” The English translation of this verse doesn’t fully express what Jesus said on that day. Think about it…all ten lepers had been made well, yet only one had come back in faith to thank Jesus. The verb for “made well” is not the word for healing. It is not the word for cleansing. It is the word for “salvation.”

Jesus literally said to this man, “Your faith has saved you.” This Samaritan had not just come back to thank Jesus; he had come back to surrender his life to Jesus. We see this outwardly expressed as he fell at Jesus’ feet. He did not just put his health in the hands of Jesus; he had put his heart in the hands of Jesus. All ten of the lepers had been physically healed but only one of them had been eternally healed.

Sadly, the other nine lepers had missed out on the greater miracle. The greatest disease they had was not leprosy – it was sin. This is not just a story about them. This is a story about all of us. The vast majority of people on this planet accept the good things from God, but they never accept the best thing from God. Matthew 7:14 says, “Small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life; and only a few find it.”

As followers of Jesus, we can always be thankful. If you base your thanksgiving on life itself one of these days you are going to die. If you base your thanksgiving on your possessions, one day you won’t have them anymore. There is one thing we can always be thankful for and that is Jesus.

So I ask you this question: No matter what you are going through, no matter how bad things may be, if you have Jesus how can you not be thankful?

Father, thank You for Jesus. Thank You for the life I have in Him. In Jesus’ name, amen.