Give Thanks to Jesus!

I can hardly believe it is almost Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving is my favorite Holiday of the year. I enjoy the smell of yummy food, catching up with family & friends, and enjoying a fun day together. Most of all, I enjoy hearing what the Lord has done in each person's life and what they are thankful to Jesus for. I have so many things to give thanks to Jesus for in my life.

This week I have been thinking about the story of the 10 lepers from Luke 17:11-19. Jesus cured 10 lepers from their disease but only ONE returned to give thanks to Jesus. This lone, now cleansed leper couldn’t get back to Jesus fast enough. Luke tells us, “When he saw he was cleansed, he came back, praising God in a loud voice. He threw Himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked Him” (v. 15-16). Wow! This guy was excited! When he finally reached Jesus, he fell on his face and thanked Him in a loud voice. Considering what Jesus had done, nothing was more important than thanking and praising Him in worship. He more than likely told everyone he knew the rest of his life what Jesus had done for him.

Our sin is very similar to leprosy. It too is a terrible disease. It begins in the soul, eating away our bodies from the inside out. It eventually takes away life itself. Every one of us inherited this deadly and contagious disease from our parents. Sin separates us from God. We are no different from those ten lepers. By our bad thoughts, hurtful words, and self-centered behavior, we prove again and again that we are unclean. Being thoroughly infected with sin, we also realize that we can do nothing to heal ourselves. So what did Jesus do? He took our or sins upon Himself. Scripture says that, “Jesus was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him” (Isaiah 53:5). Just like the leper, I need to thank Jesus for forgiving me of my sin and share with everyone I meet that he has cleansed me from my incurable disease (sin)!

Thank you Jesus for cleansing me of my sin. Let me speak it, sing it and live it. I want to be a visible example of one who you have healed from my sin. Amen!