Week 12: A thankful heart - the healed leper

I will praise you, Lord, with all my heart;

I will tell of all the marvelous things you have done.

I will be filled with joy because of you.

I will sing praises to your name, O Most High. (Psalm 9:1–2 NLT)

There is a story in the book of Luke where Jesus heals ten men with leprosy. The lepers saw Jesus coming, stood at a distance, and called out for him to heal them. When he did, just one of the lepers came back to thank him. The leper didn’t just thank him, he praised him in a loud voice and threw himself at Jesus’s feet. He was filled with gratitude.

This man’s life was changed; he knew it and he was not going to be silent about it. The crazy thing is that this man was a Samaritan, meaning he had never known the one true God until Jesus came and changed his life forever. That type of gratitude, that realization that Jesus has completely saved us, moves us to love Jesus more.

We live in a much easier world. There is no leprosy for us to fear, medical care is accessible, and grocery stores are fully stocked. We can even have something delivered to us the same day, using just our face to pay. Our life is pretty good! It’s amazing! The downside is that it’s a lot harder to feel grateful for the everyday things God has blessed us with. Our hearts are easily hardened and discontent.

But we can be truly grateful for the gift of salvation every single day. Life may not be perfect every day, but Jesus loves us every day. Having a thankful heart toward him will draw us closer to him and increase our joy! It’s hard to be grumpy when you are being thankful!

Let’s pray that our kids recognize Jesus’s gifts to them every day and that they move closer to him and praise him in response!

Lord, I pray that you would remind __________ daily of your love for them, that they would practice praising you for who you are and thanking you for your many blessings on a regular basis, that you would cultivate in them a grateful heart, and that you would help me model this in our home too!

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