Living in the Spirit

November 26, 2020

Scripture Reading:
Luke 17:11-19
On the way to Jerusalem Jesus was going through the region between Samaria and Galilee. As he entered a village, ten lepers approached him. Keeping their distance, they called out, saying, ‘Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!’ When he saw them, he said to them, ‘Go and show yourselves to the priests.’ And as they went, they were made clean. Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice. He prostrated himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him. And he was a Samaritan. Then Jesus asked, ‘Were not ten made clean? But the other nine, where are they? Was none of them found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?’ Then he said to him, ‘Get up and go on your way; your faith has made you well.’

How much do we take God for granted? The fact that we can take God for granted does not mean we should. God’s love and grace are gifts without strings attached. How does that make us feel? How does that impact our way of being? How does the knowledge of God’s love and grace give us the strength to reach for our full potential? How does it enable our ability to love one another? How does expressing our gratefulness for God’s love and grace bring us closer to God? How does our expressing gratefulness bring others closer to God?

Jesus modeled giving thanks:

At that time Jesus said, ‘I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and the intelligent and have revealed them to infants; Matthew 11:25

So they took away the stone. And Jesus looked upwards and said, ‘Father, I thank you for having heard me. John 11:41 (Raising of Lazarus)

Then he took a cup, and after giving thanks he gave it to them, saying, ‘Drink from it, all of you; Matthew 26:27 (Last Supper)

We should also model gratefulness.

Come, ye thankful people, come,
raise the song of harvest home;
all is safely gathered in,
ere the winter storms begin.
God our Maker doth provide
for our wants to be supplied;
come to God’s own temple, come,
raise the song of harvest home.*

Prayer: Thank you God for your everlasting love and gift of grace. Amen.

First verse of Come, ye thankful people, come by Henry Alford see at https://hymnary.org/text/come_ye_thankful_people_come

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.