Luke 17:11-19
There were 10 men who had a disgrossting skin disease that kept them quarantined from society (like COVID, only visible on your skin). They were kicked out of the city and ordered to stay away from family, friends, and anyone while they were sick (or had visible signs of their condition).
One day, Jesus encountered these men and they hollered from a distance for Jesus to have mercy on them. They didn’t ask for anything else and left it up to Jesus to determine the extent and type of mercy he’d show. Jesus told them to “Go and show” themselves to the priests. (This was required in order to be reinstated into society because only the priest could declare a person clean and fit to associate with others.)
“And as they went they were cleansed.” WOW!!! What a miracle. In their obedience, healing came. In their leaving their situation, they found deliverance. In trusting Jesus at his word, they found new health, hope, and humanity.
QUICK NOTE: Don’t stay locked up and bound in your situation. Go in faith and may you find healing in your leaving. Sometimes, you just have to start going before anything is going to change.
But, there was only one who returned to say thanks and worship Jesus. Jesus comments on this situation asking rhetorically if all ten were cleansed. And further notes that only a Samaritan returned to praise God.
After this, Jesus tells him to get up and go and then proclaims something profound. Jesus says, “…your faith has made you well.” Now we have to understand that he was already cleansed, meaning his skin disease was gone. So, this wellness has to be something else, something more.
It is.
Sozo is the Greek word that means ‘to save, rescue from danger’. It’s not just saving from a bear. It’s a spiritual issue that Jesus addresses and says this man is restored to wholeness.
For this Thanksgiving message, I want to make the obvious more impactful.
Gratitude is helpful and a productive means to better life. We see a great deal of benefit from this. Many mental health advantages come from being grateful such as elevated positive emotions, reduction of stress, anxiety, and depression, improved self-esteem, and enhanced social connections just to name a few.
Along with psychological benefits, there are physiological effects that are positive as well. Gratitude lowers cortisol levels (stress hormone), improves digestive health, sleep, and neuroplasticity (brains ability to rewire for better thinking patterns), and even reduces pain perception!
HOW COOL IS THAT!!! But that isn’t all.
Physically and mentally, gratitude changes the human body and upgrades the human experience. This is remarkable. Gratitude touches the mind and the body. And as we see with the Samaritan leper, it transforms the spirit as well, generating wholeness of life, free from death that is our sin!
So, as you finalize Thanksgiving plans and rush into the stress of the holidays, remember that practicing gratitude regularly can help your attitude, make you feel better, and bring you lasting peace. It can transform you mind, body, and soul!
Let me know how it goes or what changes for you in adding more thankfulness in your daily routine…and eat some pie for me!
#HappyThanksgiving
#GetGrateful
#MagnitudeOfGratitude
#RestoringWholenessOfLife
Brett
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