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Writer's pictureRandall Owens

Misery Loves Company

This week we will celebrate Thanksgiving here in America. So of course, today we will look at what it really means to be thankful.

When Laura and I were first married, I wasn’t very good at this concept. I’m not great at it now, but I’m certainly better than I used to be. This is how I learned. I would ask Laura for something and of course she, being the wonderful wife that she is, would get it for me. Then she would just stand there and wait. If I didn’t say anything, she would say...you’re welcome. That happened a lot till I learned to say thank you.

It would appear that the majority of Americans have something to be very thankful for. I’m talking about the majority of people who voted in the presidential election and are now thrilled about how that turned out. The bible tells us what our response should be.

Psalm 100:4 “4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name!”

That’s a pretty straight forward instruction...But were the churches across America filled to overflow the last couple of weeks with people who couldn’t wait to shout their gratitude to God for saving the country? Where are all of those passionate “christians” who so desperately prayed for the election? Where was the gratitude for God answering their prayer and giving them what they wanted?

When it comes to being thankful...the silence of people who get their prayers answered is astounding. And it’s not just a new phenomena with this election. I’ve noticed, what I think is a very strange pattern in the church.

People who have a desperate need, will look to the church for help...and then as soon as they get what they wanted...we never see them again.

And I’m not just talking about homeless people who show up looking for a handout. I’m talking about people who attended for a while and considered us their church family. Then, right after you, the church family, stepped up and took care of them, when they needed it most...they disappeared. Right after the situation was resolved, they never came back.

I just can’t figure out what would make someone do that. You bend over backwards to care for and love people and then they just disappear. That will make you want to stop helping people.

I guess, I shouldn’t be too surprised by this behavior, because people did it to Jesus as well. It’s amazing how many things have not changed since Jesus walked the earth.

Luke 17:11-13 11 On the way to Jerusalem he was passing along between Samaria and Galilee. 12 And as he entered a village, he was met by ten lepers, who stood at adistance 13 and lifted up their voices, saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.”

Here we have the same situation I was just describing. These ten lepers who are in desperate need cry out to Jesus and ask for a miracle. They stood at a distance because lepers we not allowed to approach people because leprosy was so contagious. They were willing to shout in order to get their need met.

Did you notice what they called Jesus? Master. But did they really think of Him as their master? They recognized Him as one

with authority, who could take care of their problem, but were they surrendered to Him as their master?

Luke 17:14 “14 When he saw them he said to them, “Goand show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went they were cleansed.

Jesus does not heal them immediately, but tells them to go show themselves to the priests. This was because the priests were the ones who could officially declare someone to be clean or unclean. The needed the approval of the priests to be accepted back into society. They were all cleansed of their leprosy. Problem solved.

Jesus was also testing them, to see if they would follow the process He instructed. In churches, I’ve seen that people are willing to do some things that the church leadership require of them...if they believe it means they will get what they want. They just want their problem solved.

Luke 17:15-16 “15 Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice; 16 and he fell on his face at Jesus' feet, giving him thanks. Now hewas a Samaritan.”

Here is the dividing line. One of the guys came back to offer thanks. We don’t know why only one of them returned to say thank you, but we know that he did it with a loud voice bowing down at Jesus’ feet. They all used a loud voice when they were crying out for a miracle, but only one of them was willing to come back and shout out his gratitude for his healing.

Luke 17:17-18 “17 Then Jesus answered, “Were not ten cleansed? Where are the nine? 18 Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?”

That is the question of the day. Where is everyone who should be here showing their gratitude to God for all He has done for them? Why isn’t every church completely packed every week with people who can’t wait to express their praise to God? Why do people abandon God after they get what they want?

Because people set their priorities based on the desires of their flesh, not on the word of God. Your actions will reveal your priorities. The actions of the 10 lepers revealed their priorities.

Only one came back to say thank you. One out of ten is a very low percentage. Even after saving the lives of these ten lepers, only one of them was grateful enough to come back to Jesus and show his gratitude.

The one guy who did come back, maybe he was one of those people who feel the need to truly express how they feel about what God has done for them. Maybe he didn’t care if anyone else would go with him. Maybe he wasn’t worried about what the others would think of him if he showed his gratitude. Maybe we should follow his example.

And did you notice which one it was? Yep, it was the Samaritan. It seems that Jesus has a special connection with those Samaritans who are outside on the fringe of the Jewish society He grew up in. This is how the story ends.

Luke 17:19 “19 And he said to him, “Rise and go your way; your faith has made you well.”

Jesus is pleased with the response of this Samaritan. Gratitude goes a long way with God. This one former leper gets something the other nine did not. When describing what the nine received the Bible says cleansed, which means healed.

But what this guy got is described as being made well, which means his sins were forgiven. The one who showed gratitude received what he really needed, not just what he thought he needed.

These guys were ok with coming together to share in their misery, but when it came time to show gratitude, suddenly sticking together didn’t matter any more.

Misery loves company, but gratitude is a lonely business.

People as a general rule will come together to complain. It’s much easier to gather people for a protest than for a praise service. Is that not what we witnessed during the election campaign and then afterward?

The same crowds that gathered to protest our current administration, should have been in church praising God for His answer after the election. But once they perceived that the problem was over, they quickly forgot where the answer to the problem came from.

Did you whisper a thank you to God with a golf clap and a slight smile after the election? Is that all He means to us? Do we not have as much reason as those ten lepers did to shout our thank you to God for His great mercy and forgiveness. For saving our country and our very lives with salvation?

But is getting what we want, the only thing that is supposed to trigger our gratitude? Are we only grateful when we get what we want? What about those times when things don’t go our way? What about those times when things don’t turn out how we wanted? Can we still be thankful to God? Can we still be grateful to our heavenly Father?

If we only rarely show up to express our gratitude for what God has done for us, how likely are we to show up when things are not going well?

1 Thessalonians 5:18 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”

What is God’s will for you? It’s for you to give Him thanks in everything. Does that verse really mean in everything? Really?

In every difficult chemo treatment, in every unemployment line , in every argument with your kids, in every time your money runs out before your month does? Does God really expect you to learn to rejoice, pray and be thankful in every situation. He does.

This is where things get tough. Even though we might be willing to praise God and be thankful for when He gives us what we want...can we do it when He says no, or not yet?

Habakkuk 3:17-18 17 Though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, the produce of the olive fail and the fields yield no food, the flock be cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls, 18 yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will take joy in the God of my salvation.”

The prophet is describing the worst of situations in that day. And despite all that, he says, “Yet, I will rejoice in the Lord!” What will it take to finally get your attention? Will you continue to let your circumstance determine your level of gratitude and praise?

Your situation may not change quickly, or maybe not at all, but that does not mean God has changed. It’s Ok to question your situation. It’s only human and natural to wonder what is happening and why. King David had the same experience.

Psalm 13:1-6 1 How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? 2 How long must I take counsel in my soul and have sorrow in my heart all the day? How long shall my enemy be exalted over me?3 Consider and answer me, O Lord my God; light up my eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death, 4 lest my enemy say, “I have prevailed over him,” lest my foes rejoice because I am shaken.5 But I have trusted in your steadfast love; my heartshall rejoice in your salvation. 6 I will sing to the Lord, because he has dealt bountifully with me.

Can you look past your situation and say “my heart will rejoice over your salvation?” Do you trust that He really does have steadfast love? Can you see that He actually has dealt bountifully with you?

What does the 23rd Psalm say? I might be walking through the valley of the shadow of death, but I will fear no evil. Why? Because He is with me and that is something to be thankful for.

We must always remember to thank Him for what He has done.

How does it make God feel when we are ungrateful for what He has done for us? I think it makes Him feel the same way it would make you feel. Disappointed and hurt.

How can we maintain an attitude of gratitude? By following the instruction of the first verse we look at today.

Psalm 100:4 “4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name!”

Did you come in here today with a heart of thanksgiving? Did you enter His courts with a praise on your lips? Did you give Him

thanks and bless His name? If you did, I believe God was pleased with your offering of gratitude.

If not, there are some questions that you should be asking yourself. Am I only thankful to Him when I get what I want? Do I show any gratitude at all for what God has done for me?



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