Marks of a Christian – GRATITUDE
Luke 17:11-18
There are certain marks that all of us who have found life in Jesus Christ should share. They are the manifestation of the transforming work that God does in His children as they go about living in the world but not of the world.
One characteristic that should distinguish us from the world more than any is the mark of Gratitude.
One of the things I noticed in considering the story of the 10 lepers this past week was the difference in proximity to Jesus that the ungrateful lepers experienced compared to the grateful leper. At the beginning of the story all 10 make their petitions known to Jesus from a distance. Then something happens. As they obediently head off to show themselves to the priests they are all healed. One, the Samaritan in the group, turns back. He returns glorifying God, falling at the feet of Jesus expressing his thanks. The other 9 went on their way having never experienced the closeness to Jesus that the one grateful healed man experienced. There is a closeness to God that we can only experience as we realize that we are blessed with life and the faculties to experience it by God Himself. The natural response when you recognize your blessings and Who they are from is to express gratitude.
One of the most important things that strikes me in this story is that expressing gratitude to God is worth it. It is worth it because it brings us into a closeness with God that is known in no other way. In our desire to thank God, we are moved to draw close to Him. When we draw near to Him, He has promised to draw near to us.
There is an intimacy with God that is known in no other way because it springs directly from our hearts and communes directly with His.
This is the core that all of the rest of our relationship with God emanates from, and should be an obvious mark in every Christian’s life.
