Monday, November 17, 2008

Scripture: Luke 17:11-19
Now on his way to Jerusalem, Jesus traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee. As he was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy met him. They stood at a distance and called out in a loud voice, “Jesus, Master, have pity on us!” When he saw them, he said, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were cleansed. One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him—and he was a Samaritan. Jesus asked, “Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?”

Observation:
What was wrong with the 10 men that Jesus came across?
They had leprosy (a disease that causes really gross sores all over the skin).
How did Jesus heal the men and what were their responses?
Jesus simply healed the men of their disease by telling them to go see the priests.
Only 1 man out of the 10 came back to thank Jesus! Think about it, if you had a really bad disease that made everyone around you shudder with disgust, and suddenly some guy came up and healed you…wouldn’t you want to thank him? Personally, I don’t think I would ever want to stop thanking him!!
There’s a pretty good chance that Jesus knew beforehand that the other 9 men were not going to come back and thank him, but that didn’t stop him. He healed them anyway!

Application:
Helping someone in need isn’t about getting something in return. Do you help people even when it doesn’t benefit you?
We need to remember that helping people is not about what they can do for us, but it is about what we can do for them!

Prayer:
Take advantage of any opportunities you have to help someone, even if you don’t get anything in return, because helping those in need is a form of worship to God. Ask God to give you opportunities to share his love with those who need it, and spend time thanking God for all he has given you.