Luke 17:1-21
Luke 17:1-21
Is thankfulness a distinguishing mark of your walk with God?
Luke 17:11-19 tells an account of Jesus healing 10 lepers. They went to the priests to be cleansed, and yet only one came back to Jesus to offer him thanks for this miracle. Because this was a Samaritan that came back, the point is that true salvation is available for all who receive Jesus with the right heart posture.
But it begs an important question for us. Are we truly thankful for who God is and what God has done for us in Christ? Do we really realize how desperate our state is without God? That God doesn’t owe us anything?
Allow these words from one of my favorite devotionals, The Valley of Vision, give direction to what thankfulness can look like in your life.
O MY GOD,
Thou fairest, greatest, first of all objects,
my heart admires, adores, loves thee,
for my little vessel is as full as it can be,
and I would pour out all that fullness before thee
in ceaseless flow.
When I think upon and converse with thee
ten thousand delightful thoughts spring up,
ten thousand sources of pleasure are unsealed,
ten thousand refreshing joys spread over my heart,
crowding into every moment of happiness.
I bless thee for the soul thou hast created,
for adorning it, sanctifying it,
though it is fixed in barren soil;
for the body thou hast given me,
for preserving its strength and vigour,
for providing senses to enjoy delights,
for the ease and freedom of my limbs,
for hands, eyes, ears that do thy bidding;
for thy royal bounty providing my daily support,
for a full table and overflowing cup,
for appetite, taste, sweetness,
for social joys of relatives and friends,
for ability to serve others,
for a heart that feels sorrows and necessities,
for a mind to care for my fellow-men,
for opportunities of spreading happiness around,
for loved ones in the joys of heaven,
for my own expectation of seeing thee clearly.
I love thee above the powers of language
to express,
for what thou art to thy creatures.
Increase my love, O my God, through time
and eternity.
By: Graham Withers
Is thankfulness a distinguishing mark of your walk with God?
Luke 17:11-19 tells an account of Jesus healing 10 lepers. They went to the priests to be cleansed, and yet only one came back to Jesus to offer him thanks for this miracle. Because this was a Samaritan that came back, the point is that true salvation is available for all who receive Jesus with the right heart posture.
But it begs an important question for us. Are we truly thankful for who God is and what God has done for us in Christ? Do we really realize how desperate our state is without God? That God doesn’t owe us anything?
Allow these words from one of my favorite devotionals, The Valley of Vision, give direction to what thankfulness can look like in your life.
O MY GOD,
Thou fairest, greatest, first of all objects,
my heart admires, adores, loves thee,
for my little vessel is as full as it can be,
and I would pour out all that fullness before thee
in ceaseless flow.
When I think upon and converse with thee
ten thousand delightful thoughts spring up,
ten thousand sources of pleasure are unsealed,
ten thousand refreshing joys spread over my heart,
crowding into every moment of happiness.
I bless thee for the soul thou hast created,
for adorning it, sanctifying it,
though it is fixed in barren soil;
for the body thou hast given me,
for preserving its strength and vigour,
for providing senses to enjoy delights,
for the ease and freedom of my limbs,
for hands, eyes, ears that do thy bidding;
for thy royal bounty providing my daily support,
for a full table and overflowing cup,
for appetite, taste, sweetness,
for social joys of relatives and friends,
for ability to serve others,
for a heart that feels sorrows and necessities,
for a mind to care for my fellow-men,
for opportunities of spreading happiness around,
for loved ones in the joys of heaven,
for my own expectation of seeing thee clearly.
I love thee above the powers of language
to express,
for what thou art to thy creatures.
Increase my love, O my God, through time
and eternity.
By: Graham Withers
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