November 27, 2022 . . .

Most likely, you have heard this story before. The one out of ten healed lepers who ran back to Jesus Christ to thank him for healing him. Surprisingly, a Samaritan in a time when Jews and Samaritans did not typically get along. Jesus asked, “Where are the nine?” meaning that only one of the ten were thankful. We have just celebrated Thanksgiving and yet I wonder how many remembered to thank God for their blessings. Being thankful despite difficult circumstances is a challenge for most people. We have a choice to be thankful or to wallow in our misery. Thanksgiving is an act of worship. Only one leper turned back and shouted his thanks to God for the healing as he approached Jesus. He put his thankfulness into action. What kind of action is Jesus looking for you to do right now? You may whine, “Well, under the circumstances it is hard to be thankful.”  Get out from “under the circumstances” and know that you are blessed by a merciful God. Would you rather live a life of worship or a life of worry? Thanks be to God, we have Jesus on our side no matter what the “circumstances” might be. It’s time for THANKS!