Have you ever stopped to think about how strange it is? Here we are, living in history’s most abundant moment. Our phones outpower spacecraft from just a few decades ago. Our homes contain luxuries past kings couldn’t imagine. Medicine works daily wonders. You’d think we’d be the most grateful people who ever lived.
And yet… anxiety rises. Satisfaction drops. Hearts grow heavy. What’s missing amid all this abundance?
I think Luke 17 holds the answer for us. It’s a story that mirrors our own hearts more than we’d like to admit – a story about ten men who received an incredible miracle, but only one who turned back to say “thank you.”
The Default Setting of Our Hearts
Let’s be real for a minute: our hearts default to forgetting. Not remembering. That’s the natural setting for every one of us sitting here today. We like to think we’re thankful, grateful people. But the Bible shows us again and again – no, the vast majority of us are forgetful, ungrateful people.
Our hearts tell us three devastating lies:
- We earned everything we own
- We deserve what we have
- These gifts will last forever
None of that’s true. You didn’t earn any of it on your own. You don’t deserve anything you have. And friend, it can all be taken away in a moment.
Think about your morning so far. How many blessings have you encountered? The gift of breath, a functioning body, transportation, the freedom to worship openly. When was the last time you thanked God for just… oxygen? If the oxygen was removed from the room for just 30 seconds, we’d all be on our knees thanking God for it.
The Culture of Ingratitude
Our natural bent toward ingratitude meets an unbelieving culture that turns every one of God’s gifts into givens. What our ancestors would see as miracles, we reframe as basic rights. We swim in more abundance than any generation before us, yet satisfaction drifts further away.
Each scroll through your phone shows another highlight reel – a better home, a cooler vacation, a perfect family, a dream job. Before you know it, you’re scanning your own life for what’s missing instead of seeing what’s right in front of you.
But here’s where it gets serious: ingratitude isn’t just a social problem. Paul shows us in Romans 1:21 that it’s a spiritual emergency. The first slip into human foolishness is thinking everything you have is somehow due to you. When you can’t even see that the good things in your life come from a good God, you’re already halfway to hell.
What Made the One Different?
So what set apart that one grateful leper from the nine who walked away? It wasn’t virtue – they all had the same desperate need. It wasn’t volume – they all could raise their voices to cry for help. The difference was vision. What did the one man see that the others missed?
1. An Intentional Return
The one leper turned back. It wasn’t by accident. It wasn’t convenient. He was headed to the priest just like Jesus commanded, but he made a choice to stop and turn around. If true gratitude isn’t intentional, you won’t do it. It has to cost you something.
Think about the nine men – I bet their feet were kicking up dust as they hurried to the temple. All they could see was family reunions, returned careers, restored lives. They moved with purpose. But if you’re going to be a grateful person, you’ve got to put your foot in the ground and pivot against that current.
2. Public Expression
This healed leper didn’t just feel grateful. The text says he came back with a loud voice and glorified God in plain view. True gratitude likes to throw its head back and shout praise to God. When was the last time you told someone specific about what God’s done for you?
The tragedy of private gratitude is that it robs God of the public glory due to Him. He didn’t heal you in private – He changed your life publicly. Give Him public glory. Plus, others need that encouragement. They need to hear that God broke through in your life because it means He might break through in theirs too.
3. Recognition of Unworthiness
Beyond leprosy’s physical wounds was a social rejection that cut deeper. Leprosy in Jesus’ time meant living as a dead person – no hugs, no shared meals, no human touch. Every turned face and hurried step past you wore down your dignity.
The grateful one was a Samaritan – an outsider among outsiders. While disease had united them, healing revealed those old divisions again. But in recognizing his complete unworthiness, he saw the magnitude of grace more clearly than anyone.
Where Do You Stand?
The story of the ten lepers isn’t just history – it’s a mirror for our own souls. Are you hurrying forward with the nine or turning back with the one? Let me give you four questions to examine your heart:
- When did you last deliberately thank God for specific mercies?
- Do you notice what’s missing more than what’s present?
- How often do words of thanks actually leave your mouth?
- What blessings have you received today that you’ve taken for granted?
Practical Steps Toward Gratitude
If you’re convicted about being more like the nine, here are three practical steps to start becoming like the one:
- Flip Your Prayers: Start with thanks, not requests. Don’t rush immediately into petitions. Begin in praise.
- Send One Thank You Today: Transform your phone from a tool of hurry into an instrument of gratitude. Send one specific, thoughtful message of thanks to someone who’s blessed your life.
- Share One Testimony: Tell someone this week about how God showed up in your life. It doesn’t have to be polished – just honest and specific.
The Heart of True Gratitude
Here’s what makes this story so powerful: while all ten lepers were cleansed (katharizo in Greek – made clean), only the one who returned received something deeper. Jesus told him, “Your faith has saved you” (sozo – complete salvation and restoration).
The nine got clean bodies. One man got a clean heart. And once his heart changed, gratitude couldn’t help but flow. He didn’t just receive healing – he recognized the Healer. He stopped. He turned. He saw Jesus for who He really was.
That’s our invitation too. We have to pause our rush. Turn from our self-sufficiency. Look beyond the gifts to see the Giver. Every blessing God gives is a signpost trying to point us back to His heart.
Your Turn
Where are the nine? The Master’s question echoes through time to our hearts today. Has He lifted your leprosy of sin? Has He cleansed your spiritual wounds? Has He restored your broken soul? Has He given you new life?
Then you know why that question still burns. How can we receive such mercy? How can we taste such grace? How can we know such love and simply walk away?
Where are the nine? It is the eternal reminder that grace deserves praise. In the presence of Jesus, let us answer one by one: “Lord, by your grace, I will be the one who returns.”
#Gratitude #Faith #ChristianLiving #BiblicalTeaching #Thanksgiving #Worship #JesusChrist #GraceAndTruth
This Christmas, join me in reflecting on Christ’s redemptive love with my new book Mercy Mild: A 25-Day Christmas Devotional. Available now on Kindle (free with Kindle Unlimited) and in hardback and paperback for the season.
Order here: Amazon link
Let’s make this Advent season one of deeper reflection and renewed hope in Christ’s mercy.
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