10/09/2015 - HE OBTAINED MORE THAN THE OTHERS

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And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, returned, and with a loud voice glorified God… Luke 17:15

It does not matter if your opportunity of reaching divine favor is a little bit distant, like it happened to the lepers, who, although they saw the Master from a distance, they cried out asking for mercy (Luke 17:12,13). If you have not achieved that closeness that you desire and that it is necessary, cry out from wherever you are, for the Lord will certainly hear you asking for help. When He answered the lepers, He placed Himself available to all.

It is right to raise your voice and cry out for God´s mercy, but this does not mean to raise your voice´s volume, but your faith that you put forth in this act. The fact that Jesus heard those lepers shows that He always hears His people. Nobody is excluded from divine love; however, the sins committed by a person separate her from God and prevent Him from hearing her requests (Isaiah 59:2). However, if you have committed a transgression, ask the Lord to forgive you. 

When He answered the prayer of that group, Christ shows us that He will answer individual prayer, family prayer, of a group or of all the community. The secret is for us to cry out with the faith that comes to our heart from listening God´s Word (Romans 10:17). Therefore, if a family member of yours is sick,  with problems in the family´s relationship, unemployed, with debts, or in the wrong path, the solution is to cry out for the Lord, for He will certainly answer you.

The Scriptures show us Jesus closing His eyes, gritting his hands and writhing Himself, while He ordains the spirit of leper to leave those people. The Master, simply, ordered them to go and show themselves to the priests (Luke 17:14). The anointing upon us works regardless if we follow a ritual of prayer, but, yes, it works because of the decision we take regarding the person who asked us for a blessing to be healed. 

Certainly, when they saw they were healed, they rejoiced; however, only one came back to give thanks to God. The lack of gratitude has been common in many lives that were miraculously restored. People don’t understand that if the house is empty, the demon will come back with seven more demons worse than him, and the last state of that person will be worse than the first (Luke 11:24-26). It would be good if the person who was healed did a service of thanksgiving, inviting friends and relatives. 

Jesus knew what He had done, and therefore, He asked for the other nine ungrateful (Luke 17:17-18). He expects the same thing from all those that have been blessed. It does not matter if your cry was for you to find a lost document or to be healed of a sickness. The miracle is not magic, but an operation of God that delivers you from the terrible satanic effort to steal, kill and destroy you (John 10:10a). Whoever has received grace must thank Him for it. 

He blessed the one which came back, giving him the greatest of all blessings – salvation (Luke 17:19). The others were just healed; however, he who was grateful received the assurance that he would spend eternity next to the Master. The biblical records have the purpose of teaching us to walk in the path of God. Therefore, make your petition known as well as your gratitude. 

In Christ, with love,

R. R. Soares