S: Luke 17:11-19 As Jesus continued on toward Jerusalem, he reached the border between Galilee and Samaria.12 As he entered a village there, ten lepers stood at a distance, crying out, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” He looked at them and said, “Go show yourselves to the priests.”t And as they went, they were cleansed of their leprosy. One of them, when he saw that he was healed, came back to Jesus, shouting, “Praise God!” He fell to the ground at Jesus’ feet, thanking him for what he had done. This man was a Samaritan. Jesus asked, “Didn’t I heal ten men? Where are the other nine? Has no one returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?” And Jesus said to the man, “Stand up and go. Your faith has healed you.”
O: Lack of thankfulness is an ancient problem. The American Pilgrims recognised this and instituted the Thanksgiving festival.
A: Most of our prayers are supplication -- asking God to do something for us. But we must not forget to thank God for what He has given us as well.
The following song by Andreas Wijaya does a good job of expressing the many reasons to be thankful to the Lord:
(See my English translation at the bottom of the page if you don't understand Bahasa Indonesia.)
P: Thank You for the many blessings You have given me and continue to give me. Most of all, I think You for Your saving grace. In Jesus' name, amen.
Note: this is using the SOAP method. For more information, see this page (not written by me.)
TERIMA KASIH TUHAN
THANK YOU LORD
by Andreas Wijaya
Translation by Ian Chai
Di saat ini
Kubuka hati
Untuk bertemu denganMu Allahku
I now open my heart to meet with You my God
Begitu banyak ungkapan syukur bagiMu
S'bab Kau Bapaku yang sangat baik
Father, I thank You in so many ways because of Your great goodness.
Disaat aku
Jauh dariMu
Tak pernah Kau tinggalkan diriku
Even when I'm far from You, You never leave me.
Kau tetap menjagaku s'lalu
walau kujatuh dalam dosa
Kau angkatku kembali ke sisi-Mu
You keep looking after me; even when I fall into sin, You lift me back up to Your side."
Reff:
Terima kasih Tuhan
atas kasihMu padaku
yang t'lah kurasakan di sepanjang hidupku
Lord, thank You for Your love for me, which I experience all of my life.
Ku tak mampu sendiri tanpa kekuatanMu
Berilahku hati seperti hatiMu
Without Your strength, I can do nothing. Give me a heart like Yours.
Terima kasih Tuhan
atas sgala pengampunanMu
dan kemurahan hati yang t'lah kuterima
Lord, thank You for the forgiveness and grace You have lavished upon me.
Ku ingin lebih lagi hidup dalam nama-Mu
Kar'na Engkaulah sumber hidupku
I live the abundant life in Your name because You are the source of my life.
Note: my command of Bahasa Indonesia is imperfect; if you are fluent in Bahasa Indonesia, please feel free to suggest corrections.
Some people are naturally thankful, but most of us have to work at it. It helps me to realize that being thankful is one of God's commands to us. Colossians 3:15-17 says "Let the peace of Christ, to which you were called as one body, be in your hearts to decide things for you. And be thankful. Let Christ's word live richly in you as you teach and warn one another, using every kind of wisdom. With thankful hearts sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to God. And everything you say or do, do it in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by Him give thanks to God the Father." Those short verses mention thankfulness three times!
ReplyDeleteA lot of times we think of commands as things that are hard, and we overlook things that seem too easy, like being thankful. But God gives us commands that we need, and often we need to think about our blessings and make a point of being thankful! It is so easy to be caught up in today's problems (and there always will be some) and to forget God's riches that He is continually pouring out on us.
Thanks, Ralph. Yes, this lesson is repeated many times in scripture. Just last month, in this same reading plan, I wrote this meditation on Psalm 145, "Count your blessings".
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