How Jesus Healing Ten Lepers Reminds Us to Count Our Blessings
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In Psalm 103, we are encouraged to bless the Lord and not to forget any of his benefits. Let’s be honest here, sometimes in life it is easy to forget all that God has done, especially because we live in a what-have-you-done-for-me-lately world. I don’t know if our forgetfulness is intentional or if the busyness of life causes us to overlook certain things.
Your salvation story is a lot like these lepers. Your condition was sin and when Jesus came by, you did what the lepers did. You cried out for him to have pity on you, and that is exactly what Jesus did. In his great mercy he saw you in your sinful (leprous) condition and he saved you.
2. The blessing of sanctification
Jesus did not just save you, he also cleaned you up. As the lepers were on their way to the priest, they were cleansed. This is your story too. If you remember in the days of altar calls, sometimes people would be convicted and moved to come to the altar for salvation. For these people, often before they even got to the altar, Jesus had already begun cleansing them. You have been cleansed from all your prior sin.
3. The blessing of restoration
The truth of this story is not complete until you begin to think about all the things Jesus has restored in your life. With your salvation Jesus restored broken relationships, broken dreams, broken lives, and broken hopes. His salvation began the process of fixing all the things that were wrong and broken in your life. Even after you were saved, how many times have you called upon Jesus, just like these lepers, and how many times has he responded? I believe the answer is far too numerous to count.
When you begin adding these things up, there is only one response, and that is to be like the one leper who came back. I want you to notice how he came back, pay close attention here.
When the leper returned here is what he did.
1. He changed his shout
Upon returning, he praised God in a loud voice, which means he let everyone know what God had done. Remember he had to shout unclean before when he was a leper to let people know his condition. Now he was praising God in a loud voice because his condition had changed. He simply changed what he was shouting about.
Here is the question you should ask. Are you shouting and declaring praises over the healing and change God has made in your life? This is what the one leper did.
2. He humbled himself
When he threw himself at Jesus’ feet, he recognized this healing was not of his own doing, but more importantly it was not because he was deserving either. Sometimes lost in the many things God does for us is the fact they are a result of his mercy and grace. We don’t receive because we are worthy, we receive because he is gracious. Never forget that as you remember the things God has done for you.
3. He gave thanks
I don’t know all that was going through this man’s mind when he came back, but he lay at Jesus’ feet thanking him for all he had just restored in his life. The other nine forgot this, and if we are not careful, we can fall into the same trap.
The conclusion of this story is simple. Count all your blessings and recognize that you have them because of God’s grace and nothing else. When you forget this, you become like the other nine. You reach for Jesus when you are in trouble and need him, but quickly forget him when the situation has resolved itself. This is other nine behavior. Jesus has called us to remember all he has done and count our blessings, even if you are the only one.
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