15 One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. (Luke 17:15)
What about the tenth leper? He took some time for reflection. He realized he had experienced something amazing. And so, before returning home, he went to Jesus and fell at the Lord’s feet with shouts of praise and thanksgiving. He knew he had been healed. He also knew he needed something more. He realized he needed God.
In his book, The Reaffirmation of Prayer, Glenn Hinson writes:
In the final analysis the cause of thanklessness is practical atheism. If in theory we do not deny God, in practice we live as though he did not exist. We develop an amnesia about the Source and Creator of all.
In a sense that’s how the nine ungrateful lepers were acting. In theory they believed in God. Practically speaking—since they offered no gratitude to God for God’s grace, they made themselves atheists. Remember our proverb: “No gift is truly ours till we have thanked the giver.”
God’s grace is not about God giving us the blessings of living in a free country, having shelter over our heads, good health, and a nice home. God’s grace is about God giving us Himself. Nine of the former lepers did not realize that. These nine were thankful for THINGS. Only one of the former lepers was thankful about THE ONE who made all the things possible.
The reaffirmation of prayer
by: E. Glenn Hinson
publisher: Broadman Press, published: 1979
ASIN: 0805419470
EAN: 9780805419474
sales rank: 1941766
price: $202.76 (new), $5.99 (used)
Book by Hinson, E. Glenn
