18/08/2011 - THE FOREIGN WHO DID THE RIGHT THING

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And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, returned, and with a loud voice glorified God, and fell down on his face at His feet, giving Him thanks. And he was a Samaritan.

Luke 17:15-16

God knows exactly how many people seek Him and He also knows their problems. The least He expects them to do is to seek His presence and thank Him for the blessings He bestows on them.
No miracle is the result of mere chance, but rather the operation of the divine power. What the passage above teaches us is that we must not forget the works that the Lord has done for us. Many do not even notice when the Almighty heals them or solves their problems. These people do not care about what God does in their favor. Some will even think that when He answers their prayers, He is not doing more than his obligation. However, instead of acting this way we should do what that Good Samaritan did: he was a leper, but when he realized he had been healed he returned to thank God.
He who develops thankfulness to the Father for the victories obtained will actually receive much more than he expects. Because of the gratitude that he expressed, that man from Samaria also reached salvation. The other nine men were healed of leprosy, but when they died they probably did not go to the Paradise of the Lord. However, this is precisely the most important work of God for man\’s life: salvation in Christ Jesus.
The Word says that the Samaritan glorified God with a loud voice – and he did so because he was happy and wanted to show everyone that a miracle had been performed in him. He expressed his adoration of the Son of God by falling down on his face at His feet. He who does the same gives a proof of his thankfulness, of his surrender to the Lord and of his willingness to follow Him. The ungrateful, on the other hand, shows he is ashamed of Him. But this is the kind of feeling that must not be harbored in one’s heart towards the Son of God, because the Lord will also be ashamed of this person. My brother, our gratitude should be obvious to
all. Only those who do not believe in Jesus do not care to go back and give Him due praise with a loud voice.
That man gave thanks when he realized his health had been restored not by magic, but rather by the beautiful moving of God. I ask my dear readers: have you ever been healed or have your prayers been answered? What did you do? Did you give thanks to the Father? Did you leave it for later or did you simply ignore the fact? The stranger returned. And you, what will you do?
In Christ with Love,
R. R. Soares