"Your Faith Has Made You Well"

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 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."

Luke 17:11-19

Jesus referred to the grateful man as a Samaritan - an outsider - maybe to underscore that sometimes the sons of this world are more shrewd than the sons of light, in other words, Christians. Sometimes people of the world have better manners than Jesus' followers do.

In the busyness of life, we may forget to give thanks. Someone has done something for us - given a gift, performed a task, delivered a timely sermon, provided a word of counsel or comfort. But then we fail to give thanks. Has someone done something nice for you? Give that friend a call or send a thank-you note.

We don't need more to be thankful for

- we just need to be more thankful.

Our Daily Bread - January 29, 2006