“Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving;” “Oh come, let us worship and bow down; Let us kneel before the LORD our Maker. For He is our God, And we are the people of His pasture, And the sheep of His hand, For the LORD is great and greatly to be praised; Give to the LORD the glory due His name; Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, And into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name. For the LORD is good; His mercy is everlasting, And His truth endures to all generations” (Psalm 95:2; 96:6-7; 96:4,8; 100:4-5).

Are you thankful? Are you truly “thankful?”

We see in Luke 17 that not all whom God blesses are “thankful. There were ten lepers, who stood afar off. They lifted up their voices and said, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” So when He saw them, He said to them, “Go, show yourselves to the priests” (Luke 17:1114). They trusted Jesus and “as they went they were cleansed.” By their faith they were cleansed of leprosy.

All ten of the men were healed of the leprosy but only “one of them, when he saw that he was healed, returned, and with a loud voice glorified God, giving Him thanks. So, he was an outcast twice, being a Samaritan and having leprosy. Sometimes “unbelievers” give thanks to the God of Creation when the “believers” do not remember to thank Him. How soon the nine men forgot the spots of leprosy and the healing. They were cleansed and would have a new life and were not thankful. They took the blessing for granted.

Do you need to be cleansed from the leprosy of sin in your life? Have you “lifted up” your voice to Jesus? Have you returned to “thank Him”? Are you glorifying Him today? Are you in the “be thankful” zone?

The nine men were cleansed physically but what about their spiritual healing. “Jesus said, Were there not ten cleansed? But where are the nine? Were there not any found who returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?” And He said to him, “Arise, go your way. Your faith has made you well” Look what happens when one is “thankful.” Now he has been made whole. His sins forgiven! What a blessing the nine missed. Being healed physically does not mean being healed spiritually. This one man gave Jesus the “sacrifice of praise.

Whenwereyousaved? How often do you praise God? When was the last time you thanked Him for the forgiveness of your sins? Can you say with the Psalmist “I will offer to You the sacrifice of thanksgiving” (Ps. 11:16-17). Do you “shout joyfully to Him? Do you “magnify Him with thanksgiving” Do you remember “His holy name” Do you thank God ‘for His indescribable gift? Are you making “known His deeds among the peoples?

This one man sung a new song and he could not be silent about what Jesus Christ had done for him and he could say “I will give thanks to you forever” That is what happens, when one is forgiven and salvation comes to the life. Sometimes Christians forget!!

Unbelievers

Maybe you are not a “believer” in Christ yet, but you have heard Jesus speak to your heart about your sin and you just keep putting Him off. He loves you. He died in your place and is ready to forgive you when you repent with sincere humility. He can say to you “your faith has made you well.” Be saved today!.

Christians

Christian, if you are not thankful to God, then you are out of the zone of blessings. Repent of the “leprosy” of sin in your life and glorify God. Let us give “thanks to Him who sits on the throne, who lives forever” and “continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God.” Let us meet together in the “be thankful” zone today and look for His blessings. Amen. Christian, What zone are you living in today?

May God bless you, as you recall the day He saved You.

Be thankful! Be blessed!