Are you thankful?

I may not have the nicest things that money can buy but I am abundantly blessed. I have been overwhelmed this week with the realization of how much God has blessed me and my life. Sure, there are areas of my life where I can find discontentment and frustration but in light of the lives of others...yeah, I am abundantly blessed.

This week I heard an honest description of missionary life. Many people would describe this missionary family to be in paradise and think they have a carefree life, living with an ocean view and watching sunset behind the tall palm trees while the sound of lapping waves is heard in the distance.

Now, I am sure it is beautiful in this location but it is not without it's hardships. Bugs (everywhere!) diseases, heat, language barriers, discouragement, isolation, difficulty with finding/purchasing good, fresh food is more often then not the reality that a missionary and his family will face when they move from the States to a foreign field. Yet, God cares for them and blesses them in ways that I am sure we cannot comprehend.

I am thankful for the ability to get in my car, drive on a paved road to a store full of fresh food. We may think nothing of it but it is a luxury.

As I thanked God for His abundant blessings upon me and my life, I was reminded of when Jesus healed the 10 lepers and out of the 10 that were healed, how only 1 came back to give Him thanks.

It's found in Luke 17:11-19 "And it came to pass as he went to Jerusalem, that he passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee. And as he entered into a certain village, there met him ten men that were lepers, which stood afar off: And they lifted up their voices, and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us. And when he saw them, he said unto them, Go shew yourselves unto the priests. And it came to pass, that, as they went, they were cleansed. And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back and with a loud voice glorified God. And fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan. And Jesus answering said, 'Were not ten cleansed? but where are the nine? There are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger'. And he said unto him, Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole."

So it leaves the question: which are you? Are you one of the nine who receives God's blessings but don't bother to stop, take some time and give Him the glory and thanks He deserves?

Or are you like this one man? The man who recognized what God had done for him.

Take a moment to notice this man's reaction. When he saw he was healed, he SHOUTED! He wasn't quiet or shy about giving God the glory, oh no! He shouted it! The Bible says, "with a loud voice, glorified God." We ought not to be meek and quiet about giving thanks to God, no way, man! Let's shout it from the roof tops, from the street corners, from your desk at work. This man wasn't concerned at all about what others may have thought about him shouting God's praises. Instead, he let it fly because he knew his end as a leper. He had lived it. He had shouted "unclean" when walking through a crowd, he had seen the looks of disgust from the fellow citizens, he knew what it felt like to be shunned and sent off for separation. But he also knew that now that he was healed, he was clean, he didn't have to be separated anymore. He knew he had been given new life and he knew he had been given that new life from Jesus Christ.

The other nine were healed and cleansed as well but this man who took the time to turn around and give thanks and glory to God, he received an extra portion of blessing.

I know everyone is busy nowadays but I hope to never be too busy or too preoccupied to neglect the opportunity to give God thanks and glory!

What are you thankful for today? Have you thanked God for those things yet?

Don't be quiet about it! Shout it out! Share it! It will be an encouragement to others!