In Luke 17:11-19, Jesus is on His way to Jerusalem when ten men who have leprosy approach Him.  At a distance they called out in a loud voice, “Jesus, Master, have pity on us.” When Jesus saw them, He told them to go and “show yourselves to the Priest”.  When they left Jesus, they realized they were cleansed.  One of the lepers saw he was healed, came back and fell at Jesus feet thanking Him.  Jesus asked, “were not all healed? Where are the other nine?”

Put yourself in their shoes, (sandals) would you be thankful? Leprosy was a very harmful disease, making them unclean meaning they had to live alone, outside the camp.  Yes, we would be jumping up and down praising the Lord!  Or would we be one of the nine, so eager to start their new life that they took their healing for granted? 

Brothers and Sisters, we have so much to be thankful for.  Do we take it for granted? We have our families, our Church family at Summit, we live in a nation of plenty and we can still worship without the fear of being persecuted! Do we thank God enough? Do we praise God enough? Are our prayers to God mostly about our needs and concerns?  Are we too busy enjoying our good health and blessings that we can’t make time for church to praise Him?

This year is more than halfway over,  Let’s End the Year Strong!  Let’s make it our goal to not only be thankful but to show our thankfulness by our actions.  Let’s strive to encourage our brothers and sisters in Christ!  Join a small group to study God’s word to encourage and spur each other on to good works. We have so much to be thankful for!!    

Don’t be one of the nine!

Give thanks in all circumstances!  1 Thess. 5:18