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The Restoring Power Of Gratitude - Christian Entrepreneur Lectures

This story may already be familiar: Once when Jesus Christ was on His way to Jerusalem through Samaria, He was accosted by ten lepers. And from afar off, (because they were diseased and not permitted to mix with decent society), and because they recognised His ability to banish away all of their problems, they raised their voices (as in prayer) and begged Him for help. The Lord was certainly touched by this act of faith. But He did not go to lay hands on them, nor did he make lengthy prayers. He gave them simple instructions (to further test their faith): Go show yourselves to the priests (so that they can declare you free of your disease), He said. They obeyed, without question and on the way, they found themselves cured. Their leprosy had disappeared. But that was not the end of the story. Nine of these ex-lepers ran off to collect their certificates of clean health, and probably from there went off to the pub to celebrate. But one, quickly returned and raising his voice shouted his praise to God. That was not enough for him. Totally overwhelmed by God’s mercy, he prostrated himself at the feet of Jesus Christ, and profusely gave thanks. Next morning and for the rest of their lives, the other nine would probably wake up to the scars of their old disease all over their bodies and be daily preoccupied with looking for the means to hide those scars. But for this grateful persons that returned, nobody might ever again recognise him as the leper that was once cast out of decent society. That particular problem would be gone and forgotten forever.

It takes one pronouncement from God to take away whatever challenges may have alienated you from decency. It takes a simple act of obedience to receive your healing. But above simple gratitude not only makes you to retain your healing, but also puts God’s seal on your healing. God desires and demands our gratitude for His mercies. Jesus Christ knew the importance of gratitude; and that is why for all who are challenged, the best part of your blessings, often will not come until later after you have obeyed this particular principle.

What is the nature of your own alienating disease? Maybe it is not bad enough to ostracize you from decent society, but it is only giving you constant worries. Maybe it is only making you feel so worthless and useless amongst everyone else. What is the nature of your own leprosy? . Is it a mountain of debts? Is it joblessness? Is it family problems, ? Is it irreconcilable peer problems? Is it a painful physical challenge? It is a good thing that you know that Jesus Christ can heal you. Find a place where you can be alone with Him and tell Him about it. But don’t whisper a prayer; don’t meditate on your discomfort. Do it the way that those desperate but wise lepers did. Lift your voice and shout out to Him.: Help ! And He will certainly look in your direction and pronounce His healing on you. Oftentimes, this is the way that He would say it:

“Go into the world and preach the gospel (good news) to them, and tell them how I healed you”. ( Mark 16:15)

But will you give action to your faith and obey? And along the way, when you find that your situation has changed for the better, will you return to give thanks to God? Will you be one of the thankless nine, or the one that came back in gratitude?

Listen to God’s promise to those who fulfil this very important instruction :

“And out of them shall proceed thanksgiving and the voice of them that make merry: and I will multiply them, and they shall not be few; I will also glorify them, and they shall not be small” –( Jeremiah 30:19 ). He will multiply your blessings, and give you glory all around.

That financial situation that God has just miraculously solved for you, have you make a public testimony of it to encourage others?

That new job, that new position, that new business that God has just without much of your own effort dropped into your laps, will you go rejoicing to the pub with the thankless many, or fall on your face and bless God for it ?

That illness that was becoming a recurring event, and that God has just taken away, have you given thanks to Him for permanently releasing you from this illness?

That pain in the back that you thought would never go away, did you remember to give thanks to God now that it has disappeared forever ?

That reproductive problem that had put your social life in jail for so long; now that it is a thing of the past, have you publicly blessed God for this?

That your partner, your child, your co-worker, whom you thought nothing good could come out of them, have you remembered to give thanks to God for the positive role that they are playing in your life?

That unusual problem, which you thought had cut you off from decent society; don’t you now see that it was there so that God could release you from it? And after you had obediently and publicly declared God’s mercy in your life, don’t you now see that you are the one whom God has singled out for an unusual blessing from amongst this multitude?

King David was a person whom God has used to teach many Christians the value and importance of gratitude. Listen to his greatest wish and desire as expressed in one of his great psalms ;

“That I may publish with the voice of thanksgiving, and tell of your wonderful works”-Psalms 26:7

Go up to God in gratitude for what He has done in your life. And your faith will totally restore you.

KEY SCRIPTURE : Luke 17: 17. “And Jesus answering said; Were there not ten healed? but where are the other nine ? There are not found that returned to give glory to God except this stranger. And he said to him, Arise, go your way; your faith has totally healed you”

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Timi Ogunjobi is an engineer,writer,publisher and the founding director of The Global Gospel Initiative (www.virtualchapel.org) - a Christian network group which promotes "tent making mission building" activities worldwide.This article is free to publish;a donation will also be appreciated. Email :timi@ensap.com Web : www.hardmenu.net
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