“It Costs Nothing To Say ‘Thank You!'”

“It Costs Nothing To Say, ‘Thank You!'”(Lk.17:11-19).
At the outskirt to a village the Lord Jesus Christ met with ten lepers. “They stood at a distance and called out in a loud voice, ‘Jesus, Master, have pity on us!'”
Jesus told them, “Go, show yourselves to the priest.” On their way they were healed.
One of them saw that he was healed and came back, “praising God in a loud voice. He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him – and he was a Samaritan.”
Jesus wondered what became of the other nine that only the one foreigner returned to praise God. So saying Jesus told the man, “Rise and go; your faith has made you well.”
The primary goal of sampling in research is to create a representative sample, such that the sample represents accurately the larger population.
Let us take it that we were conducting a research to find out the percentage of people who would come back to show appreciation for favours received. Let us assume that the ten lepers are our sampling selection. At the end we will be justified in concluding that only ten percent of the larger population show appreciation for favours received.
In which case it is right to agree that in the majority human beings are ungrateful. When do-gooders know this, they would not do good expecting any “thank you” from the beneficiaries.
The nine lepers were a microcosm representing Israel’s ungrateful attitude towards their God. True that you never know the worth of what you have until you lose it.
It is not surprising to know that a comfortable population of Jews do not recognize Jesus as their expected Messiah. Like the nine lepers who were healed, they didn’t see him as anything beyond a Master. But the only foreigner who was healed with them saw beyond the ordinary! The nine were healed, but they were not saved. If they had received salvation they too would have returned also praising God and falling at the feet of the Savior in thanksgiving.
You see my friend, there is so much that God in Christ has done for us and is still doing which we take for granted.
The poorest and the neediest among us still have free oxygen to live on. And it is very free. Have you thanked God for that, or do you take it for granted?
What about the little favours you receive from others? Do you find time to show your appreciation?
A common “thank you” gladdens the heart of the giver and motivates him/her to do more. In the same way and in greater measure the more we praise God and thank him for what he has done, the more he is pleased with us. And when he is pleased with us, he does even more.
The ten lepers were healed, but the Samaritan who by faith returned to the Lord was offered salvation.
It costs nothing to say, “Thank You…!” And it costs a lot not to say, “Thank you…!”
So therefore, “In everything give thanks: For this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you”(I Th.5:18).
Sunday prayer: Heavenly Father, thank you for abundant grace and blessings. Amen!
Have a blessed Sunday! Peace be with you!
Prayer point: Pray that parents should train their children to know the importance of showing appreciation.
Rev Babila Fochang.