Are you a truly grateful person, not merely polite, but thankful from the depths of your heart? Steve Ranson, a pastor with forty years of ministry behind him, takes us to the story of the ten lepers (Luke 17), of whom only one came back to thank Jesus after their miraculous healing. The sermon shows how to cultivate gratitude day by day: remembering how it delights God, restraining our complaining, and deliberately choosing thanksgiving. Listen, and the closing story of a mother settling accounts with her son will stay with you for a long time.
Discussion questions
For your small group or for personal reflection after the sermon.
- What did leprosy mean for a person in Jesus' day, and what changes in what the lepers cry out to Jesus from a distance in Luke 17:11-19?
- The lepers were cleansed only as they went to the priests. What does that order teach you about obeying Jesus' word before you see the result?
- Why do you think only the Samaritan came back, while the other nine went on, even though they probably felt grateful too?
- The speaker stressed that gratitude is a decision, not a feeling, and that our thanks bring God joy. What helps you thank God on days when you don't feel like it?
- The story of the boy's bill and his mother's reply shows how we often think God owes us something. When do you catch yourself with that attitude?
- What simple practice of counting your blessings or stopping your complaining do you want to start this week?
