I believe this is a very important combination...
In reading in the gospels, which are always my favorite, because they are the chronicles of Jesus life on earth, we read about his ministry and the miracles and the people's responses to them… There's so much to learn from Jesus's amazing life and his unfathomable sacrifice for us all.
The Bible says in 1 John 4:17, As Jesus is, so are we in this world.
So if we're to be like Jesus, then we should study what Jesus did while he was on the earth. There is so much to learn, but we can ask for wisdom and great understanding because the Bible says God will give it to us liberally!
The story of Jesus healing the 10 men with leprosy in Luke 17 always surprises me.. there is so much to learn about God's grace, the abundant love of Jesus, about stepping out in faith, and about having a grateful heart.
Ten Healed of Leprosy
11 As Jesus continued on toward Jerusalem, he reached the border between Galilee and Samaria. 12 As he entered a village there, ten men with leprosy stood at a distance, 13 crying out, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!”
14 He looked at them and said, “Go show yourselves to the priests.”And as they went, they were cleansed of their leprosy.
15 One of them, when he saw that he was healed, came back to Jesus, shouting, “Praise God!” 16 He fell to the ground at Jesus’ feet, thanking him for what he had done. This man was a Samaritan.
17 Jesus asked, “Didn’t I heal ten men? Where are the other nine? 18 Has no one returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?” 19 And Jesus said to the man, “Stand up and go. Your faith has healed you.”
Because leprosy was such a contagious disease, people who had the disease were required to stay far away from other people, and they had to announce their presence if they were to come anywhere near others in a public setting.
Back in those days, a priest would have to declare people disease free… The lepers were sent by Jesus to a priest BEFORE They were actually healed…
The men responded in faith, and then Jesus healed them while they were on their way…
Is your trust in God so strong that you act on what God says in his word even before you see any evidence that it will ever work? Are you appropriating God's word through faith knowing that God's abundant grace through his Son's death and resurrection have already paid the price for what you need?
Mustard seed faith..
Faith is always in what we cannot see… It is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen.
Jesus could've healed them instantaneously right then and there ...But many times we are asked to do something on our part… to step out in faith… To appropriate our faith to meet God's grace..
What we need has already been paid for… But sometimes we need to stretch our faith to reach out and get it… In this case, the diseased men, believing they would be healed, took off to meet the priest. I imagine they were in a big hurry to get where they were going ...
Jesus's reputation as a healer had grown significantly and I believe it would have taken tremendous faith to leave Jesus's presence unhealed.
Jesus was the one man of God they knew could heal them, and yet in faith they left without having been healed...
It took strong faith to search out the priest who would need to look at them and declare them whole and made well… That was their hope... imagine their thought process as they headed to see the priest.
Imagine their joy and exuberance as they were declared healthy, imagine their thoughts of re-joining their families and friends. Imagine the great joy of no longer being an outcast, imagine the immediate freedom from a once painful ,incurable disease.
But yet in the second half of that scripture…
ONLY ONE
of those men, who were literally handed a miracle, who were literally given a new life, came back to Jesus praising him and thanking him for what he had done.
Do we remember to give God all glory and praise?
Do we thank him often enough for his unending mercy and blessings, love and protection?
The scripture shows that it is entirely possible to receive God's great gifts with an ungrateful spirit.. 9 of the 10 men actually did so. God is no respecter of persons ..
But there was so much more for the grateful man that returned. He was to learn that his faith and played an important role in his healing; he was able to share his joy with Jesus in fellowship, praise and love. I believe that grateful believers will grow in a deeper understanding of God's unmerited grace.
To whom much is given much is expected..
God does not demand that we thank him, Grace is a free gift… But gratitude and thankfulness pleases God and he uses our responsiveness of gratitude to teach us more about him. HIS PURE ,SWEET, LOVE!
Jesus is all knowing… He knew before he healed the men that only one man would return and yet his love and grace healed them ALL any way...What a lesson there is in that statement alone!
Living with an attitude of gratitude, no matter what we are facing, gives us an appreciation for God's goodness.. The more we learn of God's faithfulness, the more trust we have to lean not on our own understanding but to fully trust in our heavenly Father who was and is and is to come..ALL GLORY TO GOD , the one who will never leave us or for sake us.
PSALM 23, SO MUCH TO BE GRATEFUL FOR
“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside still waters.
He restores my soul.
He leads me in paths of righteousness
for his name’s sake.
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies;
you anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord
forever.”Isaiah 63:7 - I will mention the lovingkindnesses of the LORD, [and] the praises of the LORD, according to all that the LORD hath bestowed on us, and the great goodness toward the house of Israel, which he hath bestowed on them according to his mercies, and according to the multitude of his lovingkindnesses.www.Godcake.comWww.ninaandmichelle.comPlease like this page and share this devotion to help share the gospel and the good news of Jesus… God bless you❤️
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