A pastor was doing his annual church report back during the days of world war, and he mentioned the fact that, "Nine persons were lost at sea." The church expressed shock and amazement at this report. Then the pastor went on to add, "Well, eleven persons requested prayers for those going out to sea, and only two asked me to give thanks for a safe return, so I assume that the other nine were lost at sea."
There is a legend about two angels who were sent to earth to gather up the prayers of men. One was to fill his basket with the petitions of mankind. The other was to gather their prayers of thanksgiving. Sometime later they went back to the Father's house. One had a basket heaped high, and running over, with the innumerable petitions of men. The other returned with a sad and heavy heart, for his basket was almost empty. The thanks of men were heard but rarely on earth, even though the angel had searched diligently.
A postal employee opened and read the mail which came to the Letter Office in Washington addressed to Santa Claus. In the three months before Christmas, there were thousands of letters asking for something. In the month after Christmas, there was only card addressed to Santa Claus thanking him.
A pastor kept records of more than 20 years of ministry. He kept an account of the sick persons he visited during that period. After looking at his records, he discovered that 2,000 persons were healed after expressing true repentance of their sins when they were evidently at the point of . However, of these 2,000 people who went on to live, only two by their future lives proved that their repentance was sincere and their conversion genuine.
During a brief period of our childhood you and I went through the behavior of forgetting things that were not in our sight. Every child at some point goes through this phenomena. It's called, "Out of sight, out of mind." Parents know the power of this attitude. A child may throw a temper tantrum for an object in view which he or she wants to possess, but if one removes the object from the child's sight, amazingly the child forgets about this craving he had just moments before.
Luke 17:11-19 tells us the story that one day 10 lepers came to Jesus for a healing. Jesus told them to go to the priests and all 10 were healed. Of the 10, only one man--a Samaritan, returned and gave thanks to Jesus and glorifed God for his healing.
We want God to take care of our immediate needs more than we want to pursue a relationship with Him. Thus, when a crisis in which we need God passes, we don't know how to continue the relationship with God.
What was your earthly father like? Did he work real hard to provide for your family? How much time did you actually get to spend with your father? Many of us didn't get to spend a lot of time just enjoying our earthly father. Our father was so busy, we may have developed the pattern of not bothering him when he was home relaxing unless we really needed something. Today relationships between parents and children are at a low point. Many children don't respect their parents. Others are spoiled and learn "Give me" without any responsibility. Then our pattern of relating to our earthly father carries over into how we approach God. The attitude of many people toward God could be summed up in the song that says, "From a Distance--God is Watching Us--From a Distance."
On this Thanksgiving Sunday, I want you to realize that God desires to have a personal relationship with you. In order to grow closer in our relationship with God we need to have a heart of gratitude for all He has done for us. This means that we are not afraid to do like the lone Samaritan leper who was grateful did. "And when he saw that he was healed, he returned, and with a loud voice glorified God, and fell down at his face at Jesus' feet, giving Him thanks." Luke 17:15-16
Have we forgotten what God has done for us? It is this lack of gratitude that reflects a lack of substance in our relationship with God. If we have a growing, vital relationship with God than each day we will be reminded of who God is and what He is to us? Thanksgiving is not just a holiday, it is something that should permeate our entire lives, every day.
The grateful leper was not the only person who glorified God throughout the ministry of Jesus Christ. In Luke 2:20, after Jesus was born, the shepherds glorified God. In Luke 5:25, Jesus had forgiven the sins and healed a paralyzed man. The man glorifed God. In Luke 18:43, Jesus had healed a blind man. The man glorified God.
Let us not forget that there is so much to thank God for today.
Closing Illustration #247
A happy new Christian met an older peddler, and exclaimed, "It's a grand thing to be saved!" "Yes", said the peddler, "It is, but I know something better than that." "Better than being saved?" asked the new Christian. "What can you in your position possibly know that is better than that?" "The companionship of the Man who saved me," was the unexpected reply.