Daily Devotional for Sunday May 27, 2012
How Often Do We Pray Asking God to Help Us and In His Mercy Our Prayer is Answered
(Luke 17:11-19)
How often do we pray, asking God to help us with a need in our life, and in His mercy our prayer is answered. The real question for today is, after we get our answer, how often do we spend time just giving Him the praise and thanks he deserves? Mankind really has changed little over the years. In today's scripture, we read about the ten lepers who were healed, yet only one came back to give Jesus thanks.
It is easy to read that passage and condemn the other nine, yet each one of us has probably been guilty of receiving God's blessings and not being as thankful as we should be. We can get to a place in our walk with the Lord where we are used to His blessings. We can get to a place where we expect His blessings. As His children, we should enjoy the rich blessings of God in our life and live a life of faith, expecting Him to bless us. The problem comes when we take His blessings for granted and aren't as thankful as we should be. We must never forget, we are blessed by His grace, not because we deserve to be blessed.
Today's message is not difficult or hard to understand. If nothing else, let it be a reminder to you to never take God's blessings in your life for granted. More important, never forget to show your gratitude for all He does for you each day. Growing up, young children are taught to say please and thank you. It is not only good manners to say thank you, but should be something we want to do. We pray, believe, trust, and see God work; the natural reaction should be one of gratitude. Our praise and thanksgiving should flow from a grateful heart for what He has done for us.
The reminder today is to never forget when God is blessing you, that it is because He loves you and cares for you. The natural response to that love should be to love Him, adore Him, and give Him the thanks He is due. Check yourself and make sure you are not like the nine who took their blessing and went on with their life, but like the one who was grateful for what the Lord did for him.
It is out of my love and caring for you that I write these words today. I pray that you continue to grow closer in your relationship to the Lord. Like any relationship, it doesn't happen overnight, but grows day by day. I can promise you that the most exciting days are still ahead. He has a perfect plan for each one of His children, and it is our job to stay close to Him so that He can work through our lives to reach others. I will be praying today that you will stay in that close, intimate, daily relationship with Christ that is the key to our life.
Never forget that when you get off-track, overwhelmed by the problems this life can present, I will be here to help you. It is no accident you are getting the Devotionals each day, and God is doing His best to speak to you through them. He loves you so much and so do I. You are never alone!!!
Please, take a moment today to simply say a prayer of thanksgiving, and thank God for ALL that He does for you each and every day. It is out of His love for us that He blesses our lives, and it is out of our love for Him that we say THANK YOU!
In His love and service, Your friend and brother in Christ,
Bill Keller