Thanks Giving can Change Your Life

Message Aim: To help us understand how giving thanks can transform your life.

 Sermon Title:   Thanks Giving can Change Your Life

 Scripture:   Luke 17:11-19

¹¹ Now on his way to Jerusalem, Jesus traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee. ¹² As he was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy met him. They stood at a distance ¹³ and called out in a loud voice, “Jesus, Master, have pity on us!” ¹⁴ When he saw them, he said, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were cleansed. ¹⁵ One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. ¹⁶ He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him—and he was a Samaritan. ¹⁷ Jesus asked, “Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine?¹⁸ Has no one returned to give praise to God except this foreigner?”¹⁹ Then he said to him, “Rise and go; your faith has made you well.”

Message Synopsis:

 Advertisements on TV make some remarkable offers. What you are about to see is, “Miraculous!” These prod­ucts assure us that they are new, improved, and capable of changing our lives. Humm… God knows we need changed lives. You know as well as I do, that these products with their claims are quite far from the truth.

Most of us think that our happiness is determined by what we have or by our circumstances. We’ve been taught that our happiness is somehow dependent on how well things go for us. But really our happiness is determined by attitude. It is really in how we see things. The apostle Paul said, “Rejoice in the Lord always…” (Philippians 4:4). Paul learned to thank God in everything he did. It was really his perspective on life. He was thankful to God for life!

What is the opposite of “Thanks Giving?” or opposite of Giving Thanks?” Complaining!

Complaining doesn’t change anything or make situations better. It amplifies frustration, spreads discontent and discord, and can invoke an invitation for the devil to cause havoc with our lives. Complaining makes us miserable.  Complaining is the archenemy of thanksgiving. The two cannot co-exist in the same heart.  Think about that!

Thankfulness is so much more than having stuff. Thankfulness is a state of being and a way of life, and we usually fail to live in a state of thankfulness because we take it for granted. We have grown accustomed to our blessings. Give thanks for your blessings. Giving thanks can change your life.

In this morning’s Gospel reading, it’s the account of ten lepers who met Jesus and had a life changing encounter with the Lord. Ten persons with leprosy were healed …but only one returned to thank Jesus.  Perhaps the leper didn’t deserve it, and the same can be said for each of us. But Jesus is here to heal you …Jesus is here to change your life!

Does your life, represent a spirit of thankfulness. The one leper who returned to thank Jesus teaches us that thankfulness completes healing. Healing means to be made whole, and while all ten of the lepers found physical healing, only one found wholeness. Thankfulness is an attitude. Thankfulness is a way of life. Thankfulness enables healing to bring wholeness.