Daily Verse: Luke 17:15-16

One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. He threw himself at Jesus' feet and thanked him--and he was a Samaritan.
 

The text above is pulled from a time when Jesus was approached by ten men stricken with leprosy. The men called out for Jesus to have pity on them…to heal them of this debilitating illness. Jesus looked at them and said “Go show yourselves to the priests”…and as the men followed his command, they noticed that they had been healed…just like that, by the brief words of the Savior, the leprosy was no more! One of the men was so overcome by the miraculous healing that he ran back to Jesus and began publicly praising God for the healing that he received. I like the fact that the text states that the man used a “loud voice” in praising God. Whether he did this out of pure excitement, wanted others to hear of the miracle, or thought a loud voice was necessary to somehow “reach” God, who knows…but one thing was for sure, he knew where the healing had come from and he wasn’t ashamed or afraid to make it known to the world around him. When great things happen in our lives, do we give praise where praise is due? Do we turn to the One that provides ALL that is good in our lives and sing his praises? Or do we attribute our success or good fortune to something else…perhaps luck, chance, our hard work, our own blood, sweat, and tears? There is great peace and joy in giving the credit to God for the good things in our lives. It allows us to consciously recognize that God…the all-powerful, all-knowing, all-perfect Creator of the world…is actively and intimately involved in our lives. Our little, simple, ordinary lives garner the attention of THE one true God. That’s absolutely incredible…what a blessed people we are! May we take time today to give praise to the Lord, making it known among the world, that it is THE LORD that has brought all that is good in our lives! To God be the glory!