Thankfulness

Thankfulness is such a powerful force.  It can change our attitude, associations and even our personal atmosphere. Thankfulness can also open the door of faith to release miracles.  An amazing story is told by Jesus in Luke 17.  

"11 Now on his way to Jerusalem, Jesus traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee. 12 As he was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy[a] met him. They stood at a distance 13 and called out in a loud voice, “Jesus, Master, have pity on us!”

14 When he saw them, he said, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were cleansed.

15 One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. 16 He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him—and he was a Samaritan.

17 Jesus asked, “Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? 18 Has no one returned to give praise to God except this foreigner(Samaritan)?” 19 Then he said to him, “Rise and go; your faith has made you well.”  Ingratitude was of such a significance that Jesus brought attention to it.  "Where are the other nine?"  Jesus also highlighted that this thankful one was also a Samaritan.  The other nine were evidently Jews, the chosen ones.  This one was "outside the commonwealth of Israel."  At first they were all ten amazed at their healing and ran to the priest to receive the blessing only he could give, the release back into family and society in general. Yet, as they ran toward the location of the Priest, one paused.  What caused him to pause?  May I suggest that what made him pause in such a positive overpowering moment of anticipation of seeing his family again, was not the outer evidence of divinity upon his body, but the inner sign of divinity working in his heart.  I'm reminded of people at Christmas when receiving gifts.  Some go through them like animals casting each one aside as insignificant, looking for the one that really lights up their eyes.  Then when they find it they rush off absorbed in the gift and forgetting to thank the giver.  

Here is our question today.  Did the leper return to give thanks because he was the only one who thought of it or did he return to give thanks because kindness, consideration and thankfulness was instilled in his character?  I personally believe the latter.  As I am writing this I am reminded of one Christmas morning in particular after my family had a difficult financial year.   As a child I had made all my desires known.  That Christmas morning my gifts were lacking in my eyes.  I displayed my disappointment and I still remember the pain in my Father's eyes over 50 years later.  Yet, that powerful experience served in a different kind of way to teach me the practice of thankfulness.  Of all practices that are refined in our lives thanksgiving from the heart may be the most powerful of all.  Certainly in the story of the 10 lepers Jesus seemed more captivated by it than the miracles themselves.  

Today I am thankful for you.

• "Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life..."

Listen to the words of King David in Psalm 23 NLT:

1The lord is my shepherd;

I have all that I need.

2He lets me rest in green meadows;

he leads me beside peaceful streams.

3He renews my strength.

He guides me along right paths,

bringing honor to his name.

4Even when I walk

through the darkest valley,

I will not be afraid,

for you are close beside me.

Your rod and your staff

protect and comfort me.

5You prepare a feast for me

in the presence of my enemies.

You honor me by anointing my head with oil.

My cup overflows with blessings.

6Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me

all the days of my life,

and I will live in the house of the lord

forever.

King David had some really, really bad days and some really, really good days.  He knew that everyone has different kinds of days and even varying seasons in life.  Yet, it is interesting that his confession was that "goodness and unfailing love would pursue him all the days of his life."  Many years ago there was an emphasis, even over-emphasis some would say, on the "positive confession."  Yet, we see in the Scripture and even in the medical field that our words can help or hurt us. We can set things into motion in both the positive and negative.  We can even change the atmosphere around us with our words and accompanying attitude. I have a "natural tendency" to drift toward the negative in my thinking and my words.  Here is the question.  Does imbalance toward being overly positive or overly negative cause the most harm?  Of course thinking and speaking negative things causes the most problems in life.  A person can be having a "bad day" and circumstances can change and they immediately feel better.  What has changed?  Circumstances may have improved but the major change has been in thinking and speaking.  Let us begin to practice our walk with the Lord speaking like a child who has the best Parent in the world. (Because we do!)  My cup overflows with blessings.6Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me

all the days of my life,

and I will live in the house of the lord

forever."

If you can't build it, you can't maintain it.

I'm writing this to leaders of all genres.  My arena happens to be the Church but it applies to all leadership roles.  My title, "If you can't build it, you can't maintain it", needs to be explained.  I used to think there were builders and there were maintainers.  After all there are differing gifts and varying measures of those gifts.  The Scripture bears out the different levels of "talents".  However, after all these years I have come to realize that everyone has to be able to build.  It is fruitfulness.  Healthy people reproduce!  I have watched some take the safe road and try to simply maintain an organization with the idea that they would just put in their time, make sure they left it as good as they found it and all would be well.  Not so!  I have never seen that work in any field.  It is of necessity true  that all groups and living things must have a maintenance program ongoing.  However, if the primary leadership is consumed with that effort the group will deteriorate.  Where there is fear of failure in leadership, failure will surely come.  Fear of failure stops faith for success.  You cannot have both.  All leaders must decide they are willing to risk the safety of today in order to reach the new horizons of tomorrow.   A decision to stifle those visionary ideas because of timidity and fear will not only cause failure but it also creates a roadblock to other new visionary ideas.  That is why successful people become more successful and often patterns of failure reoccur.  There is a principle in the Christian walk that you will get more as you use that which you have, and you will be led into future success by being obedient to walk in your present instruction.  Too many timid souls want a guarantee of success before proceeding.   There are no such assurances.  Faith is a life on the edge.  From that edge one can see the possibility of rising to new levels of accomplishment but one can also see the troubled shoals strewn with the shipwrecks of disaster.  Where then is the comfort to take the leap of faith into the unknown?  It is in a moment by moment relationship with Jesus that is on speaking terms.  Jesus is not only in the  church business He is the greatest specialist in all walks of life and in every enterprise.  Let Him lead you today.  He is speaking!