Of The 10 Lepers Healed, Only One…

We live in a messed up world. This is not how God designed it to work. We as humans have corrupted it with our sinful desires. So how do we deal with it, what kind of attitude should we have? I’ll be the first to admit, I get down when I see the headlines that run across the feeds on my phone. I don’t have subscriptions to any mainstream media outlets. Even the conservative feeds contribute to the gloom and doom. This is why I always say, “feelings are legit, but often overrated. We have to go with what we know to be true”. This story of the ten lepers is exactly the type of story we need to hear in times like these. Of the 10 lepers healed, only one comes back to thank Jesus. Only one. We need to be like this one grateful, healed leper. Isn’t that what Christianity really is, a life response to what Jesus did for us on the cross? God’s acceptance of us on behalf of what Jesus did? We need to be thankful that Jesus not only chose us, but also walks with us. When times are bad, when our outlook on life slips below the “life is good” season, we have to go back to Jesus and thank Him for choosing us. We have to focus our attention on what is good. Jesus said, “only God is good”. If that’s the case, then we need to focus on God. Having an attitude of gratitude is always a good thing, especially when the feelings raging inside of us are screaming “life sucks right now”.

11 As Jesus continued on toward Jerusalem, He reached the border between Galilee and Samaria. 12 As He entered a village there, ten lepers stood at a distance, 13 crying out, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!”14 He looked at them and said, “Go show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were cleansed of their leprosy.15 One of them, when he saw that he was healed, came back to Jesus, shouting, “Praise God!” 16 He fell to the ground at Jesus’ feet, thanking Him for what He had done. This man was a Samaritan.17 Jesus asked, “Didn’t I heal ten men? Where are the other nine? 18 Has no one returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?”19 And Jesus said to the man, “Stand up and go. Your faith has healed you.” Luke 17:11-19

No One Gave Him Anything…..

One of the greatest stories in the Bible is the story of the Prodigal Son. Its purpose is to show us how Heaven rejoices when a sinner repents and returns to the God Who forgives and reconciles us back to Him. There are so many aspects to this story, so many side stories that can be drawn from it. Here’s one for instance, when the son was starving, Jesus tells us that no one gave him anything (reality of life). In modern times with our welfare system, the chances of “coming to our senses” is slim. Here though, the son’s suffering, his hardship, helped bring him back to reality. It humbled him. That’s the key ingredient in repentance. When times get bad, when adversity strikes, it’s the things that humble us that actually drive out the pride. If humility isn’t fostered in the process, people will continue living in their lostness (rebellion). Our welfare system indoctrinates people into this “it’s not so bad” mindset. Then it deceives them into thinking, “I can do nothing and still be provided for, why should I work when I don’t have to?” It lowers our standards and accepts mediocrity. Our welfare system rewards laziness and irresponsibility. Sure, there are a few it actually benefits, but for the majority, it prevents them from humility and repentance. The Bible tells us, “he who refuses to work, won’t eat”. The prodigal son experienced this. He suffered, to the point of repentance. That’s the key. And that’s God’s plan when He allows us to experience adversity. It’s to get us to the point of realizing Who is really in control, and in charge. And to direct us back to a right relationship with Him. For most of us, suffering does the trick. Never forget this.

11 To illustrate the point further, Jesus told them this story: “A man had two sons. 12 The younger son told his father, ‘I want my share of your estate now before you die.’ So his father agreed to divide his wealth between his sons.13 “A few days later this younger son packed all his belongings and moved to a distant land, and there he wasted all his money in wild living.14 About the time his money ran out, a great famine swept over the land, and he began to starve.15 He persuaded a local farmer to hire him, and the man sent him into his fields to feed the pigs.16 The young man became so hungry that even the pods he was feeding the pigs looked good to him. But no one gave him anything.17 “When he finally came to his senses, he said to himself, ‘At home even the hired servants have food enough to spare, and here I am dying of hunger!18 I will go home to my father and say, “Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you,19 and I am no longer worthy of being called your son. Please take me on as a hired servant.”’20 “So he returned home to his father. And while he was still a long way off, his father saw him coming. Filled with love and compassion, he ran to his son, embraced him, and kissed him.21 His son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, and I am no longer worthy of being called your son.’ Luke 15:11-21

Did Jesus Really Mean We Must Hate Others?

Did Jesus really mean we must hate others in order to be His disciple? It would be incorrect to assume that’s what He meant. He simply means our love for others will seem like hatred when compared to our love for Him. It will be like a lesser love. We are not commanded to hate people, or ourselves. That would be disobedient. What Jesus is saying is that unless our love for Him supersedes all of our love for everyone else and everything, then our discipleship isn’t worthy of Him. Think about it this way, true, real, authentic love comes from God. So unless our love comes from God, it will always fail us. If our love is from God then we will have an immense love for others. So it’s really love from God, or love from self. There’s only one real love that works. This is the part of the Bible that few people like. It’s the “are you participating or are you committed to God?” Part of our faith that determines its authenticity. You either die to self daily, or you serve yourself daily. As an analogy I learned in my Sunday School class a while back goes, are you a pig or a chicken? A chicken participates on a farm for breakfast, while a pig is committed. Are you committed or are you a participant when it comes to your Christianity. Jesus makes it crystal clear here: unless you are committed to Him, and your love for Him makes your natural love for others, including yourself, seem like hatred, you are not worthy of being one of His disciples.

25 A large crowd was following Jesus. He turned around and said to them, 26 “If you want to be My disciple, you must hate everyone else by comparison–your father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters–yes, even your own life. Otherwise, you cannot be My disciple.27 And if you do not carry your own cross and follow Me, you cannot be My disciple.28 “But don’t begin until you count the cost. For who would begin construction of a building without first calculating the cost to see if there is enough money to finish it?29 Otherwise, you might complete only the foundation before running out of money, and then everyone would laugh at you.30 They would say, ‘There’s the person who started that building and couldn’t afford to finish it!’31 “Or what king would go to war against another king without first sitting down with his counselors to discuss whether his army of 10 ,000 could defeat the 20 ,000 soldiers marching against him?32 And if he can’t, he will send a delegation to discuss terms of peace while the enemy is still far away.33 So you cannot become My disciple without giving up everything you own. Luke 14:25-33

Half-Hearted Christians….

The world has nothing but contempt for half-hearted Christians.

34 “Salt is good for seasoning. But if it loses its flavor, how do you make it salty again?35 Flavorless salt is good neither for the soil nor for the manure pile. It is thrown away. Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand!” Luke 14:34-35

Never Get To Taste….

When people reject God, for whatever reason or excuse, they will never get to taste any of God’s banquet. They will not experience His eternal love, mercy, grace, or kindness. Even when unbelievers are subjected to God’s common grace, they don’t recognize that it’s God doing the serving. They will permanently be banned from His presence, only hearing “away from Me you worker of iniquity”. All for the same reason Lucifer was kicked out of Heaven, because of his pride. Is it really worth it?

15 Hearing this, a man sitting at the table with Jesus exclaimed, “What a blessing it will be to attend a banquet in the Kingdom of God!”16 Jesus replied with this story: “A man prepared a great feast and sent out many invitations. 17 When the banquet was ready, he sent his servant to tell the guests, ‘Come, the banquet is ready.’18 But they all began making excuses. One said, ‘I have just bought a field and must inspect it. Please excuse me.’19 Another said, ‘I have just bought five pairs of oxen, and I want to try them out. Please excuse me.’20 Another said, ‘I now have a wife, so I can’t come.’21 “The servant returned and told his master what they had said. His master was furious and said, ‘Go quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and invite the poor, the crippled, the blind, and the lame.’22 After the servant had done this, he reported, ‘There is still room for more.’23 So his master said, ‘Go out into the country lanes and behind the hedges and urge anyone you find to come, so that the house will be full.24 For none of those I first invited will get even the smallest taste of my banquet.’ ” Luke 14:15-24

People Believe Everything They Hear….

We live in a day when people believe everything they hear. This hasn’t changed since the fall of man in the garden. A simple headline is taken as truth and never read through. The reason people do this is simple, they are lazy. And when the headline agrees with people’s distorted agenda, the effect is intensified even more. People want easy, they don’t want to have to think for themselves. People want to feel rather than think. As this proverb calls them, they are simpletons. Prudent people research topics/issues. They find the sources behind the research, within the stories. They find out who is funding the cause. This way it’s easy to spot a wolf in sheep’s clothing. Satan wants to deceive and destroy anyone who follows God. He finds it rather easy to distract a simpleton. Don’t be one.

15 Only simpletons believe everything they’re told!The prudent carefully consider their steps. 16 The wise are cautious and avoid danger; fools plunge ahead with reckless confidence. Proverbs 14:15-16

Prepared When The Pop Quiz…. Happens…

Sometimes, our mistakes are tests from God. When we fail to do this or that, God uses it as a test to see how we will react. An example of this is when Israel, specifically Joshua, failed to drive out all of the pagan people living in the “Promised Land”. God did it to show the Israelites their ineptness to be fully obedient. Because of this, they lacked discernment and faithfulness to God. The Israelites were not any different from the pagans living in the land. How much are we like that? How often to we allow ourselves to get caught up in the busyness of the day and fail to do things we should do? Like witness to co-workers? Or comfort a hurting, lost soul? Or even give God credit for doing something incredible? Or even something as simple as pointing another to God? Every single morning a Christian wakes up, he faces a battle, or a “test”, and how he responds determines his grade. Start your day getting into to God’s word, and in prayer ask for discernment, and I’ll guarantee you’ll be better prepared when the “pop quiz” that tests your faith happens.

22 I did this to test Israel–to see whether or not they would follow the ways of the Lord as their ancestors did.” 23 That is why the Lord left those nations in place. He did not quickly drive them out or allow Joshua to conquer them all. Judges 2:22-23