Living with gratitude is central to the Christian life. For believers, it’s never enough to simply be thankful ‘for’ things, we are thankful ‘to’ the Lord who gives all things and always works for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose (Romans 8.28). It’s especially important to live with gratitude when life is challenging, as it has been throughout 2020. This four-part series will cover how gratitude is central to the Christian life as well as three ‘enemies’ of gratitude that are common in our world: entitlement, discontent, and busyness.
Luke 17.11-19 tells the story of Jesus healing ten lepers, only one of whom returns to thank God for what had taken place. Being a Samaritan, his response is particularly noteworthy in the context of God having given his revelation first to the Jewish people. The man’s response reveals to us the importance of gratitude and thankfulness because gratitude expresses understanding (understanding that God is the source of all our blessings, not us), gratitude expresses worship (true understanding of God’s graciousness leads us to express our worship and adoration of Him), and gratitude expresses faith (a heart of thankfulness is one that looks to God not only for our eternal destiny but also for everyday needs).
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