THE TOP 10%
LUKE 17:14-19 NKJV
14 So when He saw them, He said to them, "Go, show yourselves to the priests." And so it was that as they went, they were cleansed.
15 And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, returned, and with a loud voice glorified God, 16 and fell down on his face at His feet, giving Him thanks. And he was a Samaritan.
17 So Jesus answered and said, "Were there not ten cleansed? But where are the nine? 18 Were there not any found who returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?" 19 And He said to him, "Arise, go your way. Your faith has made you well."
Jesus asked the question where are the nine? It is a valid question regarding giving glory to God.
The story of the ten lepers is written for our benefit. There are some great principles we can see in this passage and apply to our lives.
And that is an important truth regarding Bible reading. We must recognize that what was written was written for us to learn from. The apostle John, who wrote his gospel 60 years after the other three gospels, said what was written was for us. He wrote that what Jesus did and said was immense. The world could not contain everything. But what we see is for us to believe and apply to our lives.
When the ten lepers saw Jesus, they asked for mercy. Jesus instructed them to go show themselves to the priests. This directive was in keeping with Jewish law that only the priests could pronounce a leper clean.
But when Jesus spoke to them, they were not clean. Yet, He said go. And as they went, they were cleansed. What a great miracle. And we can see that these ten men had a part to play. They had to be willing to act on what Jesus said before they saw any change in their condition. That is a powerful principle. Acting on God's word before seeing change.
And only one came back to give thanks. But at least he came. We learn from this one Samaritan man the importance of giving thanks and glory to God for what He has done. When Jesus inquired about the other men, He was indicating that all of them should have returned. Once they saw they were clean, the priests could wait a bit.
APPLICATION:
An important part of our walk with the Lord is acting on His word. And acting before we see and feel is what our walk of faith is all about.
A great question we can ask the Lord is, Lord, I need Your help here. What would You have me do? Once He witnesses our heart, then we obey.
Also, another one of the best things we can ever do is give thanks and glory to God. And not only when He does something good. But before we see and feel any change.
I want to be one of those that gives glory to God. I don't want the Lord asking why I have not given thanks. I want to be part of the 10%.
PRAYER;
Thank You Lord for all you have done for me. I owe You far more than I could ever repay, and I am thankful.