Thankfulness is commanded in scripture (Col. 3:15), but it is also directly connected to peace ruling in our hearts in the same scripture passage. Thankfulness is the stated will of God (I Thess. 5:18) and the Lord gives us so much to motivate a thankful heart (salvation from eternal condemnation, salvation through ultimate sacrifice, salvation to the perfections of heaven for all eternity). Yet, we still will find the struggle to embrace thankfulness very real in our own lives. What hinders personal thankfulness?
Last week we saw how lifting up ourselves, selfishness, will block the passageway to personal thankfulness. Now let’s consider this next hinderance to unveiling personal thankfulness…
Absence of relationship– Luke 17:11-19
Phil. 2:19-23. I remember sitting at my desk in elementary school and finding out that we had a substitute teacher that day. This particular substitute was used often at our school. She was somewhat short with her students and very demanding about things she didn’t know enough about. She would always start out class by taking attendance. She would call each name individually and wait for a response of present. When a child was absent, she would repeat the name twice and then wait longer for a response –then she would loudly declare, “Absent.”
Absence reveals the obvious: Absence makes presence impossible.
Luke 17:11-19 shares a scary, threatening, and surprising account during the Jesus’ earthly ministry. While traveling through Samaria and Galilee, Jesus and His disciples comes across 10 men with leprosy…begging for mercy from Jesus!
Let’s take a moment and understand a few things about leprosy.
Leprosy is mentioned about 40 times in scripture. The main reason leprosy is mentioned so often is the illustrative connection to the destructive power of sin.
Anyone suspected of having leprosy had to go to the priest for examination (Lev. 13:2-3).
If diagnosed with leprosy, the leper was to wear torn clothes, let their hair hang loose, and they were to cover their upper lip and cry out, “Unclean, unclean!” The leper was to live alone outside the camp. (Lev. 13:45-46).
The leper was not allowed with their own people because they were considered greatly unclean physically and spiritually (Num. 5:2).
The leper was not allowed closer than 6 feet to any other human being and not allowed closer than 150 feet if the wind was blowing.
As a leper, you lived in a leper colony until you got better or died.
Lepers were separated from family and friends (perhaps for the rest of their life)! They were at the mercy of the disease as there was no known cure at the time. So, when we read these men are “crying out” for mercy, we must realize they are desperate. They realize they cannot save themselves, but they have heard of this Jesus healing the sick, so they “cry out!”
Jesus responds to their cries with this statement, “go show yourselves to the priests.” The Bible says they started on their way, but it wasn’t until they were on their way that they were healed. Can you imagine the joy?! No more loneliness. No more separation from loved ones. No more humiliation or disfigurement. No longer destitute or an outcast. Their future was full of hope for the first time in a long time! Yet only one returns to give God praise. They all saw the benefit in crying out to Jesus, but only one grabbed a hold of what He received from “crying out” to the Master.
Have you cried out to Jesus to be saved from eternal condemnation? Have you recognized the destructive work of sin in your life and that you cannot save yourself…that you need someone greater to save you from the wages of your sin (Rom. 6:23)? It’s not too late! Cry out to Jesus today and find His sweet gift of salvation that is offered to all who believe! If you have already cried out to Jesus and received His cleansing work of salvation, do you stop and praise Him…adore Him…thank Him? Have you side stepped a genuine relationship with the Savior of the world but taken hold of the gift He offers all who believe?
Genuine relationship with Jesus impacts personal thankfulness.
21% of those who define themselves as atheists say they believe in God.
13% of Christians who attend evangelical churches say God is more of an impersonal force than a Person with Whom people can have a relationship.
(Source: Christianity Today, August 2008)
God has spoken to all mankind through the written word. God sent His son to die in our place. God has given promise upon promise for provision, refuge, strength, grace, mercy, and much more. God commands us to talk to Him in prayer and even teaches us how to talk to Him in prayer. The one true God is interested in relationship with His creation!
When there is an absence of time with Christ, there will be an absence of thankfulness! The absence of growing genuine relationship with Jesus will cause 3 additional absences that also remove hope.
Your Presence will be absent (v. 15, 16)
You will not be at Christ’s feet enjoying the communion and fellowship you are met to enjoy with your Savior! The absence of genuine relationship with Jesus will mean you will not be spending time with the One who is holy love, great joy, and peace beyond measure. You will be absent.
Your Praise will be absent (v. 15-16)
Part of our worship to God when sitting at His feet is praise to His name. When relationship with Jesus is absent – there is a clear absence of praise and thanksgiving. You will simply not long to give God praise. You will not long to express thankfulness to God and others.
Psalm 150 – Let everything that hath breath praise the Lord!
Your Passion will be absent (v. 19)
A passion for God or your faith in God (which reveals your passion for Him) will not be seen as well! All that God would have you to be, and to the extent He would have you to be, will be absent when a growing genuine relationship with Jesus is missing.
Pursue genuine relationship with Jesus! He is so much more than fire insurance from eternal judgment in hell! The benefits of relationship with Jesus far outweigh the alternative no or inactive relationship with Jesus…but more important that the personal benefits are that Jesus is worthy of our trust, love, investment, and praise. He stands with arms open ready to receive us. Come to Jesus!
Additional Helps:
In Rebuilding Your Broken World, Gordon MacDonald suggests twenty-six questions to help develop accountability and invite feedback. If we desire to grow, we should submit ourselves to a spiritual mentor and answer these questions honestly.
1. How is your relationship with God right now?
2. What have you read in the Bible in the past week?
3. What has God said to you in this reading?
4. Where do you find yourself resisting Him these days?
5. What specific things are you praying for in regard to yourself?
7. What are the specific tasks facing you right now that you consider incomplete?
8. What habits intimidate you?
9. What have you read in the secular press this week?
10. What general reading are you doing?
11. What have you done to play?
12. How are you doing with your spouse? Kids?
13. If I were to ask your spouse about your state of mind, state of spirit, state of energy level, what would the response be?
14. Are you sensing spiritual attacks from the enemy right now?
15. If Satan were to try to invalidate you as a person or as a servant of the Lord, how might he do it?
16. What is the state of your sexual perspective? Tempted? Dealing with fantasies? Entertainment?
17. Where are you financially right now? (things under control? under anxiety? in great debt?)
18. Are there any unresolved conflicts in your circle of relationships right now?
19. When was the last time you spent time with a good friend of your own gender?
20. What kind of time have you spent with anyone who is a non-Christian this month?
21. What challenges do you think you're going to face in the coming week? Month?
22. What would you say are your fears at this present time?
23. Are you sleeping well?
24. What three things are you most thankful for?
25. Do you like yourself at this point in your pilgrimage?
26. What are your greatest confusions about your relationship with God? (Source: Leading the Way, Paul Borthwick)