515. Walking in the Word, Thank You, Jesus!

This Thanksgiving, may we give God all the thanks and praise, even as we sit in His lap and let His goodness and mercy cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

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Welcome to Walking in the Word, the biblical teaching arm of the Women World Leaders podcast. My name is Julie Jenkins, and I am so happy you have joined us for this, the Wednesday edition of the podcast, when we take a few minutes to open the Bible together and ask God what He wants us to know today.

If you are new to Women World Leaders, I’d encourage you to visit our website, www.womenworldleaders.com, and check out our offerings. One thing I want to highlight for you today is the opportunity we offer to share your God-story with the world. Have you ever really looked at a diamond? I can get mesmerized by the cut of a diamond, examining the beauty from every angle. The vast intricacies of God go far beyond those of a well-cut diamond. The way He works in each of our lives is astounding and offers us countless views of His glory, grace, mercy, and love. THAT is what I love about the books published by Women World Leaders! When we hear how God has worked in another person’s life, we can see yet another view of our miraculously intricate Father. Likewise, when we each reflect on what God has done for us, we begin to understand Him with a deeper appreciation. THAT is what our books are about! But it isn’t just about reading other people’s stories—although that is a blessing and can I just say, our books make great Christmas gifts—but God has a miracle to show you as you share YOUR story. Because what He has done in YOUR life is miraculous, and it can help someone else. If God is nudging you to share your story, please get in touch with us! You will hear in today’s teaching that sometimes we have to respond in faith before we can even visualize the outcome. So take a chance, email us at [email protected] and we will share how we can help you write your story. No pressure, no strings, and no obligations.

Well, let’s get to the teaching, shall we? We are currently walking through the gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. If you’ve been listening regularly, you know that we just finished up our study of the Sermon on the Mount. Today, we are going to fast forward to Luke, chapter 17, verses 11-19, where we will continue learning directly from Jesus' teaching.

Before we begin, let’s pray…

Dear Most Holy and Precious God. We come to you today with our minds and hearts open, ready to hear your voice. We ask that you quiet us down. Release us from the cares of the day. Give us peace that the world can spin without us for a few moments while we sit and focus on you. God, hold our hands as we go through the section of scripture you have ordained for us to study today. We trust that you will show us what you want us to know. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.

As we catch up with Jesus in Luke chapter 17, we find him walking along the border between Galilee and Samaria. Allow me to begin with verse 11 from the New Living Translation…

11 As Jesus continued on toward Jerusalem, he reached the border between Galilee and Samaria. 12 As he entered a village there, ten men with leprosy stood at a distance, 13 crying out, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!”

We don’t know much about these ten men, except that they were together, and they were each infected with an illness – perhaps psoriasis, lupus, ringworm — we don’t know their exact ailments, but we do know they each had a skin disease that required them to be ostracized from society. They were banned from being with others. On first meeting, we don’t know even know where these ten men were banished from – whether Galilee or Samaria… remember, Jesus was on the border. 

Allow me a sidebar…An amazing part of this story to me is that these men with, we find out, different backgrounds, had banded together. Although the Galileans and the Samaritans severely disliked each other, these men had formed a group. An alliance. Maybe even a friendship.

Isn’t it amazing how an open heart, in this case brought about by a horrible circumstance, can erase the differences between us?

It is so easy for us as humans to ostracize and even judge others who are not like us. The Galileans had nothing on us. How often have we gone out of our way to avoid certain areas of town? What about the judgments we hold because someone is not a native of our country?

World Publishing and Productions just published a beautiful book called Heartbeat of a Survivor by Nita Tin. When she and her husband fled her politically distraught country 50 years ago and ended up in the United States, despite the fact that her husband was a gifted doctor, he experienced severe discrimination within his own field simply because of his background. He had, after all, not grown up in nor been educated in the United States. Eventually, through his hard work, dedication, and the open heart of another professional, Dr. Pe Tin was accepted into the medical profession in the US and made amazing contributions.

There is no end to the work God can do when we open our hearts to others.

Okay…side bar over…

Apparently, the ten ill men had, together, somehow found faith that this man walking down the roadside could do something to help them, to heal them. Someone must have told them that if they would cry out to Jesus, He could help them. Now that’s a message I hope we are all comfortable sharing, for when we cry out to Jesus, He will never let us down…verse 14…

14 (Jesus) looked at them and said, “Go show yourselves to the priests.”[a] And as they went, they were cleansed of their leprosy.

I love the way this is written! Jesus told the men to go and show themselves to the priests, which they were only to do AFTER they were healed. I can’t imagine it was good to bother the priests without cause, so before these men even witnessed their own healing, it is clear that they BELIEVED they would actually BE healed. And the verse says…AS THEY WENT, they were cleansed.

How often do you and I hear a word from God and act in faith BEFORE we see the outcome? Where is God calling YOU to go, perhaps even before you feel equipped or ready? When God gives instructions, He honors our obedience to Him.

Verse 15 continues…

15 One of them, when he saw that he was healed, came back to Jesus, shouting, “Praise God!” 16 He fell to the ground at Jesus’ feet, thanking him for what he had done. This man was a Samaritan.

Wow! Are you more astounded that the Samaritan, who was NOT one of God’s chosen ones, returned in praise and thanksgiving? Or that only ONE of the ten came back to say thank you?

What were the other nine thinking??

I guess I can imagine…they hadn’t seen or touched their loved ones in a long time, maybe they were rushing to see them. Maybe they had work they had neglected and wanted to see if they could salvage their earnings? Or maybe they were just celebrating with a good meal or looking forward to sleeping under a solid roof?

We don’t know. But I take this as a cautionary tale – how many times has God gifted me with the unimaginable and I’ve turned away from Him as I appreciated the gift instead of the Giver?

Jesus asked the Samaritan the same questions…

17 …“Didn’t I heal ten men? Where are the other nine? 18 Has no one returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?” 19 And Jesus said to the man, “Stand up and go. Your faith has healed you.[b]”

The Samaritan wanted to thank and know Jesus. He fell at Jesus’ feet, praising God. He wanted a personal relationship with the man who had given him his life back.

As I write this, it is Thanksgiving week here in the United States. And if I’m being honest, I started the week feeling a bit sorry for myself instead of focusing on giving thanks and praise to God for the many, many gifts and blessings He has given me. Sometimes, I tend to focus on what I have or don’t have and miss the fact that I have EVERYTHING because I have Jesus. My earthly life, and your earthly life, is a blip on the timeline of eternity. And yet, when we have faith and call out to Jesus, we are promised more than we can possibly imagine far beyond that blip – forever into eternity, in fact.

The ten men were healed. But, as healings go, I’m sure they each eventually encountered another sickness or problem or issue. What do you think happened to the nine who didn’t return to Jesus? Who did they turn to and trust? Jesus had healed them, confirming that He was God. Yet they dissed Jesus, going their merry way. And the result is that they had to deal with eternity alone.

But the one Samaritan who returned to Jesus? Who took his hardship and blessing and turned it into a RELATIONSHIP with Jesus? That man gained the Savior. He forever was guaranteed a true reason to praise and worship for eternity. I want to be like THAT man!

As we close today, I want to read Psalm 103 from the Passion Translation. As I read…will you praise God with me, giving Him just a bit of the praise He deserves?

With my whole heart, with my whole life,

and with my innermost being,

I bow in wonder and love before you, the holy God!

Yahweh, you are my soul’s celebration.

How could I ever forget the miracles of kindness

you’ve done for me?

You kissed my heart with forgiveness, in spite of all I’ve done. 

You’ve healed me inside and out from every disease.

You’ve rescued me from hell and saved my life.

You’ve crowned me with love and mercy.

You satisfy my every desire with good things. 

You’ve supercharged my life so that I soar again 

like a flying eagle in the sky!

You’re a God who makes things right,

giving justice to the defenseless.

You unveiled to Moses your plans

and showed Israel’s sons what you could do.

Lord, you’re so kind and tenderhearted 

and so patient with people who fail you!

Your love is like a flooding river

overflowing its banks with kindness. 

You don’t look at us only to find our faults, 

just so that you can hold a grudge against us.

You may discipline us for our many sins,

but never as much as we really deserve.

Nor do you get even with us for what we’ve done.

Higher than the highest heavens—

that’s how high your tender mercy extends!

Greater than the grandeur of heaven above

is the greatness of your loyal love, towering over all

who fear you and bow down before you!

Farther than from a sunrise to a sunset—

that’s how far you’ve removed our guilt from us.

The same way a loving father feels toward his children—

that’s but a sample of your tender feelings toward us, 

your beloved children, who live in awe of you.

You know all about us, inside and out. 

You are mindful that we’re made from dust.

Our days are so few, and our momentary beauty 

so swiftly fades away!

Then all of a sudden we’re gone,

like grass clippings blown away in a gust of wind,

taken away to our appointment with death,

leaving nothing to show that we were here.

But Lord, your endless love stretches

from one eternity to the other,

unbroken and unrelenting toward those who fear you

and those who bow facedown in awe before you.

Your faithfulness to keep every gracious promise you’ve made

passes from parents, to children, to grandchildren, and beyond.

You are faithful to all those who follow your ways

and keep your word.

Yahweh has established his throne in heaven;

his kingdom rules the entire universe.

So bless the Lord, all his messengers of power,

for you are his mighty heroes who listen intently

to the voice of his word to do it.

Bless and praise the Lord, you mighty warriors,

ministers who serve him well and fulfill his desires.

I will bless and praise the Lord with my whole heart!

Let all his works throughout the earth,

wherever his dominion stretches—

let everything bless the Lord!

Heavenly Father – we love you, and we thank you for the best gift ever—the gift af salvation through Jesus Christ. Thank you for healing us, now and for eternity. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.