OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL ForSunday 30 March 2014 "BE GRATEFUL" BY PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE
Memory Verse: Luke 17:15
And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God,
Read: Luke 17:12-19
12 And as he entered into a certain village, there met him ten men that were lepers, which stood afar off:
13 And they lifted up their voices, and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.
14 And when he saw them, he said unto them, Go shew yourselves unto the priests. And it came to pass, that, as they went, they were cleansed.
15 And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God,
15 And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, 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 And Jesus answering said, Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine?
18 There are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger.
19 And he said unto him, Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole.
Message
It is not a big deal for God to perform miracles in the life of anybody. The problem that hinders the working of miracles lies with the children of men and is multifaceted in nature. It has to do with ignorance of what the Almighty is capable of doing and lack of faith among others. However, there is one problem that seems insignificant to many people but is a big hindrance to the manifestation of God’s power: It is ingratitude! Many times I have to compel people to clap in praise of the Almighty God when fantastic testimonies are being given during our big meetings. This problem is evident in the story of the ten lepers. Jesus in Luke 17:17b-18 asked in dismay:
“Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine? There are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger.”
Though all of the ten lepers were cleansed, only one was made perfectly whole! Why? The faith of the nine was lopsided! They had faith that Jesus Christ could heal them; that was why they cried to him for help in the first place. Unfortunately, their faith did not go beyond receiving their miracles, hence they discharged themselves prematurely! Instead of coming to show gratitude to the One who healed them and get their healing certified by the Infallible High Priest as required by the law of Moses (Leviticus 14:1-4), they went their own various ways. But to the one that returned to show gratitude, Jesus in Luke 17:19 said:
“Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole.”
In other words, Jesus perfected the leper’s healing and certified him permanently healed.
Showing gratitude is one secret to receiving perfect miracles. You should show gratitude to the one and only Miracle Worker, Jesus Christ, the Son of the living God. Let us cultivate the habit of worshiping God for Who He is, thanking Him for what He has done in the past, in anticipation of what He will continue to do. Never trivialise even the miracle of sleeping and waking. Like I often tell members of our church, when you see people who can’t use the toilet or ease themselves without the aid of medical gadgets, you will know how to praise and thank God. The good thing about being grateful to God is that you receive more blessings from the one from whom all blessings flow. One way of saying thank you to God for His providence is by paying your tithes according to Malachi 3:10. God bless you as you obey today in Jesus’ Name.
Action Point:
Count your blessings before God and appreciate Him for them.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR : EZEKIEL 30:20-32:32 and PSALM 73:1-17
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